<ul>
<li><em>Science</em> journal has a new study on the DNA of ancient dogs and humans, which examines the beautiful relationship and shared history of dogs with our species.</li>
<li>The oldest remains of dogs were found in Germany and date about 15000-16000 years back.</li>
<li>The new analysis asserts that just when the Ice Age ended, about 11000 years back we had five specific lineages of dogs, developing further into a larger number of families.</li>
</ul>

Dogs And Humans

<ul>
<li>Chihuahuas have traces of ancient dogs found in America, while Huskies resemble their ancestors that date back at least 11000 years.</li>
<li>The scientific study of dogs and wolves DNA reveals that wolves picked up DNA from dogs, but did not transmit any DNA to dogs, even though it is established that dogs have evolved from wolves. </li>
<li>The reasons about the wolves with intersected dog DNA not being around, or one species of dogs completely wiping out other lineages remain a mystery.</li>
</ul>

Ancient Dogs And Their Lineage

<div dir="ltr">
    <h2 dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">A new study tracks the human-dog relationship through DNA.</p></h2>
</div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr">
            
        </div></div><span dir="ltr">03 November, 2020</span></div><img alt="Scientists piece together the story of humans and dogs" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY2NDUwOS9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNTg2ODc1NH0.s4rv2iJGQKwmgE7b_LJ-_CGql-dV61HY5p4GHZ90ZJ0/img.jpg?width=1245&amp;coordinates=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&amp;height=700" width="703" height="395"><UL><LI>The earliest dog, not wolf, found so far comes from over 15,000 years ago.</LI><LI>A new study tracks the travel and development of dogs since the end of the Ice Age.</LI><LI>Insights are derived by comparing ancient canine DNA with ancient human DNA.</LI></UL><p dir="ltr">We know that at some point long ago there were wild wolves who became companions for humans, and eventually evolved into dogs. The oldest verified dog remains, found in Germany, are from 15,000-16,000 years ago. Much of the story remains mysterious, though. Where it happened, for example: There are reports of dogs in ancient Siberia, in Europe, and the Near East. There are signs of pooches in the Americas some <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/america-s-first-dogs-lived-people-thousands-years-then-they-vanished" dir="ltr">10,00 years ago</a>. Are all these dogs connected? And how did they become human companions in so many places and cultures?</p><p dir="ltr">A new study of ancient human and dog DNA, considered apart and together, published in the journal <a href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/557" dir="ltr">Science</a>, fills in some of the missing pages in this long-running love story.</p><p dir="ltr">"Dogs are our oldest and closest animal partner. Using DNA from ancient dogs is showing us just how far back our shared history goes and will ultimately help us understand when and where this deep relationship began," says one of the study's contributors, Human Evolutionary Biologist <a href="https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/people/larson-greger" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">Greger Larson</a> of the University of Oxford in the UK.</p><h3 data-role="headline">DNA gets around</h3><img src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yNDY2NDU3NC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzkxNzkyNH0.K0JEM0y89zL-HIr_8Z_iPW-ypbebDjFBNjXAkPraqok/img.jpg?width=980" width="623" height="436"><p>Assyrian dog relief</p><p dir="ltr">The research is the product of a collaboration between Larson and paleogenomicist <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/pontus-skoglund" dir="ltr">Pontus Skoglund</a> of the UK's Francis Crick Institute. Skoglund is an expert in canine evolution, working with teams at both institutions as well as the University of Vienna.</p><p>The researchers analyzed DNA from over 2,000 sets of canine skeletal remains, some of which dated back as far as 11,000 years. Working with ancient DNA from Siberia, Europe, and the Near East, the researchers were able to add  27 newly sequenced dog genomes to the previously sequenced five.</p><p>The researchers compared the canine DNA to the genomes of 17 human individuals who lived during the same time frames in search of common influences that might further establish their connection. Indeed, correspondences were seen that reflected the impacts of humans bringing their dogs along with them as they migrated around the world.</p><p>They found that Swedish farmers and their dogs are both descended from canines of the Near East, suggesting that man and dog followed the development of agriculture together through Europe. On the other hand, German farmers 7,000 years ago came from the Near East, but their dogs didn't.</p><p>Based on their analysis, the scientists assert that by 11,000 years ago, just after the Ice age, there were already five distinct families (or lineages) of dogs, so the German remains were no outlier. These lineages eventually developed into later lines.</p><p dir="ltr">Some of this occurred through interbreeding with other dogs and also through mating with their wild wolf cousins. Comparisons between ancient dog and wolf DNA revealed a surprise: Wolves picked up DNA from dogs, but, at least judging by the remains available, there was little or no gene flow back in the other direction. Larson <a href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/how-dogs-tracked-their-humans-across-ancient-world" dir="ltr">suggests</a> to Science that the evidence may have been tampered with, so to speak — if a dog started behaving like a wolf, its human may well have simply gotten rid of it. </p><p dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/anders-bergstrom" dir="ltr">Anders Bergström</a> is the lead author of the study, and he <a href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2020-10-29_study-of-ancient-dog-dna-traces-canine-diversity-to-the-ice-age" rel="noopener noreferrer" dir="ltr">points out</a> a mystery it reveals: "If we look back more than four or five thousand years ago, we can see that Europe was a very diverse place when it came to dogs. Although the European dogs we see today come in such an extraordinary array of shapes and forms, genetically they derive from only a very narrow subset of the diversity that used to exist." Why — and how — one line of dogs so dominated early Europe as to wipe out other lineages remains a mystery. The researchers found no human development that mirrors, or could explain, this event.</p><h3 data-role="headline">A dog's life</h3><p>It's fun to realize that ancient dog lineages persist to this day. It turns out Chihuahuas have traces of ancient American dogs, and Huskies bear traces of their cold-weather ancestors. Skoglund tells Science that on any given day in a modern dog park, you may be looking at lineages that date back 11,000 years.</p><p>It's likely that subsequent research will reveal even more. Says co-author and University of Vienna group leader Ron Pinhasi, "Just as ancient DNA has revolutionized the study of our own ancestors, it's now starting to do the same for dogs and other domesticated animals. Studying our animal companions adds another layer to our understanding of human history."</p><div>From Your Site Articles</div>

A new study traces the history of humans and their dogs through ancient DNA.

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A new study tracks the human-dog relationship through DNA.

<ul><li>The earliest dog, not wolf, found so far comes from over 15,000 years ago. </li><li>A new study tracks the travel and development of dogs since the end of the Ice Age. </li><li>Insights are derived by comparing ancient canine DNA with ancient human DNA. </li> </ul>

<p dir="ltr">We know that at some point long ago there were wild wolves who became companions for humans, and eventually evolved into dogs. The oldest verified dog remains, found in Germany, are from 15,000-16,000 years ago. Much of the story remains mysterious, though. Where it happened, for example: There are reports of dogs in ancient Siberia, in Europe, and the Near East. There are signs of pooches in the Americas some <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/america-s-first-dogs-lived-people-thousands-years-then-they-vanished">10,00 years ago </a>. Are all these dogs connected? And how did they become human companions in so many places and cultures? </p>

<p dir="ltr">A new study of ancient human and dog DNA, considered apart and together, published in the journal <a dir="ltr" href="https://science.sciencemag.org/content/370/6516/557">Science </a>, fills in some of the missing pages in this long-running love story. </p>

<p dir="ltr">"Dogs are our oldest and closest animal partner. Using DNA from ancient dogs is showing us just how far back our shared history goes and will ultimately help us understand when and where this deep relationship began," says one of the study's contributors, Human Evolutionary Biologist <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.arch.ox.ac.uk/people/larson-greger" rel="noopener noreferrer">Greger Larson </a>of the University of Oxford in the UK. </p>

<p dir="ltr">The research is the product of a collaboration between Larson and paleogenomicist <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/pontus-skoglund">Pontus Skoglund </a>of the UK's Francis Crick Institute. Skoglund is an expert in canine evolution, working with teams at both institutions as well as the University of Vienna. </p>

<p>The researchers analyzed DNA from over 2,000 sets of canine skeletal remains, some of which dated back as far as 11,000 years. Working with ancient DNA from Siberia, Europe, and the Near East, the researchers were able to add 27 newly sequenced dog genomes to the previously sequenced five. </p>

<p>The researchers compared the canine DNA to the genomes of 17 human individuals who lived during the same time frames in search of common influences that might further establish their connection. Indeed, correspondences were seen that reflected the impacts of humans bringing their dogs along with them as they migrated around the world. </p>

<p>They found that Swedish farmers and their dogs are both descended from canines of the Near East, suggesting that man and dog followed the development of agriculture together through Europe. On the other hand, German farmers 7,000 years ago came from the Near East, but their dogs didn't. </p>

<p>Based on their analysis, the scientists assert that by 11,000 years ago, just after the Ice age, there were already five distinct families (or lineages) of dogs, so the German remains were no outlier. These lineages eventually developed into later lines. </p>

<p dir="ltr">Some of this occurred through interbreeding with other dogs and also through mating with their wild wolf cousins. Comparisons between ancient dog and wolf DNA revealed a surprise: Wolves picked up DNA from dogs, but, at least judging by the remains available, there was little or no gene flow back in the other direction. Larson <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/10/how-dogs-tracked-their-humans-across-ancient-world">suggests </a>to Science that the evidence may have been tampered with, so to speak — if a dog started behaving like a wolf, its human may well have simply gotten rid of it. </p>

<p dir="ltr"><a dir="ltr" href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/research/find-a-researcher/anders-bergstrom">Anders Bergström </a>is the lead author of the study, and he <a dir="ltr" href="https://www.crick.ac.uk/news/2020-10-29_study-of-ancient-dog-dna-traces-canine-diversity-to-the-ice-age" rel="noopener noreferrer">points out </a>a mystery it reveals: "If we look back more than four or five thousand years ago, we can see that Europe was a very diverse place when it came to dogs. Although the European dogs we see today come in such an extraordinary array of shapes and forms, genetically they derive from only a very narrow subset of the diversity that used to exist." Why — and how — one line of dogs so dominated early Europe as to wipe out other lineages remains a mystery. The researchers found no human development that mirrors, or could explain, this event. </p>

<p>It's fun to realize that ancient dog lineages persist to this day. It turns out Chihuahuas have traces of ancient American dogs, and Huskies bear traces of their cold-weather ancestors. Skoglund tells Science that on any given day in a modern dog park, you may be looking at lineages that date back 11,000 years. </p>

<p>It's likely that subsequent research will reveal even more. Says co-author and University of Vienna group leader Ron Pinhasi, "Just as ancient DNA has revolutionized the study of our own ancestors, it's now starting to do the same for dogs and other domesticated animals. Studying our animal companions adds another layer to our understanding of human history." </p>

Scientists piece together the story of humans and dogs

Dogs And Humans

Ancient Dogs And Their Lineage

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