The earliest known doglike fossils come from Europe. But DNA
studies have implicated east Asia and the Middle East. Now a
large DNA study is lining up with the fossils, suggesting dogs
originated in Europe some 19,000 to 32,000 years ago. Experts
praised the new work but said it won't end the debate.
Scientists generally agree that dogs emerged from wolves to
become the first domesticated animal. Their wolf ancestors began
to associate with people, maybe drawn by food in garbage dumps
and carcasses left by human hunters. In the process they became
tamer, and scientists believe people found them useful for
things like hunting and guard duty. Over a very long time in
this human environment, wolves gradually turned into the first
dogs.
The latest attempt to figure out where this happened was
published online Thursday by the journal Science.
Researchers gathered DNA from fossils of 18 ancient wolflike
and doglike creatures that lived up to 36,000 years ago in
Argentina, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Switzerland and the United
States. They compared the genetic material to modern samples
from 49 wolves from North America, Asia, Europe and the Middle
East, 77 dogs of a wide variety of breeds including cocker
spaniel, basenji and golden retriever, and four coyotes.
The DNA of modern dogs showed similarities to the genetic
material from the ancient European specimens and modern-day
European wolves, the researchers reported.
The first dogs evolved by associating with hunter-gatherers
rather than farmers, since dogs evidently appeared before
agriculture did, they said.
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"There are now, based on genetic evidence, three alternative
hypotheses for the origin of dogs," said Robert Wayne of the
University of California, Los Angeles, a study author.
He said his results suggest a better case for Europe than for
east Asia or the Middle East. He also said the kind of wolf that
gave rise to dogs is now extinct.
Olaf Thalmann of the University of Turku in Finland, another
author, said the work doesn't mean that Europe is the only place
where dogs emerged.
"We conclude that Europe played a major role in the domestication
process," he said in an email.
The work makes a strong argument for an origin in Europe,
although it might not be the only place, said Greger Larson of
Durham University in England, who did not participate in the
research. "I think it's a real step in the right direction."
[Associated
Press; MALCOLM RITTER, AP Science Writer]
Malcolm Ritter can be
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http://twitter.com/malcolmritter.
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