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Scientists Close To Solving the Mystery of Where Dogs Came From

Posted by Soulskill on from the evolved-to-fit-the-need-for-a-natural-vacuum-cleaner dept.

sciencehabit writes: For years researchers have argued over where and when dogs arose. Some say Europe, some say Asia. Some say 15,000 years ago, some say more than 30,000 years ago. Now an unprecedented collaboration of archaeologists and geneticists from around the world is attempting to solve the mystery once and for all. They're analyzing thousands of bones, employing new technologies, and trying to put aside years of bad blood and bruised egos. If the effort succeeds, the former competitors will uncover the history of man's oldest friend — and solve one of the greatest mysteries of domestication.

2 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. Multiple domestications by pubwvj · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There is a huge amount of evidence that domestication did not happen once or in one place but many times in many places around the world. This evidence points back as far as about 135,000 years and as close as about 15,000 years for each of these events in time where wolves domesticated humans. It is speculated that wolves did this for two reasons: fire and thumbs for scratching.

    It is not surprising that there would be multiple domestications. A human plus a wolf are far more powerful at defense and offense, at hunting and guarding than either species alone. Our social structures are very parallel and our physical abilities complement each other.

  2. which one? by sshir · · Score: 3, Interesting
    It took only 50 years to domesticate fox in that russian experiment

    Thus it would be a surprise if dog domestication happened only once.