The first dog was born 15.000 years ago, probably in Central Asia | Dogalize
Scientists are pretty consistent that grey wolves are the earliest dog ancestors, but where do they come from? And when was the first dog born? The issue has been investigated several times in the past, and now Central Asia is the newest and best candidate, according to a large study of dogs from around the world.
The huge research, conducted by Laura M. Shannon, Adam R. Boyko and an international group of other scientists at Cornell University, involved more than 4,500 dogs of 161 breeds and 549 village dogs from 38 countries.
The team analyzed DNA from all the chromosomes in the cell nucleus, from the Y chromosome specifically, found only in males, and from mitochondria, cellular energy machines outside the nucleus that are inherited from the mother.
The analysis pointed to Central Asia, including Mongolia and Nepal, as the place where “all the dogs alive today” come from. The data did not allow precise dating of the origin but showed it occurred at least 15,000 years ago. The findings have been reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Dr. Boyko, who traveled to a number of the locations where blood was drawn from village dogs, said: “The great thing about working with dogs is that if you show up with food you don’t usually have trouble recruiting subjects. Usually.”
Federica Lauda
Source: nytimes