Genetic History of Dogs
Genetic History of Dogs
Student Summary by Emma SeoOriginal Source: Eliene Augenbraun, Scientific American, Jan 21, 2021https://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode/ancient-dogs-had-complex-genetic-histories/
Image created by Emma Seo
Abstract
Background: The first animals to be domesticated were dogs, and they thrived alongside humans throughout history as humans changed their lifestyles from hunting and gathering to farming to city living.
Objective: Researchers wanted to learn more about the history of dogs and how they evolved with humans.
Method: Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute in London studied the genomes of 27 ancient dog bones that had been dug up around the world.
Results: They found that by 11,000 years ago, dogs had started to genetically diversify, with evidence of at least five major ancient lineages. Dog remains have been found in Europe, Asia, and the Americas in a pattern similar to how humans moved and mixed. When humans moved, they likely brought dogs with them thinking dogs would be useful, suggesting that dogs' genetics and history have been shaped by humans. Researchers also found evidence that sled dogs may have emerged in the Arctic as early as 10,000 years ago, likely because of the humans' need for sledding. Researchers state that there used to be a great diversity of dogs in Europe 4,000 or 5,000 years ago, but at some point a single population expanded and replaced the other populations there -supported not by archaeology, but by the absence in modern dogs of genetic diversity present in ancient dogs. Only a few modern breeds are similar to one of the five ancient lineages, and most others derive at least in part from European dogs, which came to dominate modern dogs' genomes. Dogs also benefited from being with humans, since they had food to eat: after farming began, both species gained more copies of a starch-digesting gene, a striking example of convergent evolution.
Conclusion: Dogs have evolved and genetically changed alongside humans. They have surely been humans' companions since ancient history!
