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Scientists Close To Solving the Mystery of Where Dogs Came From

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.

29 of 167 comments (clear)

  1. state of the science by tverbeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    One thing we've known for a long time is that a good half of them are sons of bitches.

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
    1. Re:state of the science by XxtraLarGe · · Score: 3, Informative

      One thing we've known for a long time is that a good half of them are sons of bitches.

      Yeah, but they're still better than most people. ;-)

      --
      Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
    2. Re:state of the science by StrangeBrew · · Score: 5, Funny

      My neighbours named their dog Karma. What an awesome name for a female dog.

    3. Re:state of the science by Plumpaquatsch · · Score: 2

      My neighbours named their dog Karma. What an awesome name for a female dog.

      Duh. They should have called her Dogma.

      --
      Of course news about a fake are Fake News.
  2. Finally Happy! by Shinare · · Score: 2

    All the dog archaeologists and geneticists around the world must be thrilled they have something to do...

    1. Re:Finally Happy! by Mr+D+from+63 · · Score: 2

      How are they closer to solving the mystery just because they have scheduled a big meeting? Its that all it takes these days?

    2. Re:Finally Happy! by pspahn · · Score: 2

      That, and apparently according to the PMs around the office, lots of checklists.

      --
      Someone flopped a steamer in the gene pool.
    3. Re:Finally Happy! by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 2

      You mean besides chasing cars?

      Oh, I thought you were talking about dog archaeologists, not human archaeologists who study dogs.

      At least dog archaeologists would know where all the bones were buried...

      --
      That is all.
  3. im sure the initial proposal was neat. by nimbius · · Score: 4, Funny

    Scientist 1: nature is wonderous in its mystery, its complexity and its form. But rarely have any of us asked the question where does the dog, the canine, come from?
    Scientist 2: thats not what we should be asking at all. theres no scientific inquiry to be had and the topic just distracts from serious and important issues like...
    Scientist 1: Like the origin of dog! how long have dogs been here?! how did they evolve? have the always been mans best friend?
    Scientist 2: Im getting real sick of your shit, jerry, we both know its your dog thats crapping all over my yard.
    Scientist 1: but we cannot be certain until we delve into the scientific nature of dog!
    Scientist 2: oh for christsake.

    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  4. I'm assuming... by FizzyP · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...the answer isn't bitches?

    1. Re:I'm assuming... by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 2

      The answer is always bitches.

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      That is all.
  5. Then there is the next big question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    How exactly did humans get domesticated by cats.

    1. Re:Then there is the next big question by DaveyJJ · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Bastet (praise be her name) is very powerful. Domesticating the hairless ape species into becoming nothing more than servants/staff for her creatures was less work than a languid stretch in a sunbeam.

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      DaveyJJ
  6. Re:competitive by tverbeek · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Academic politics is the most vicious and bitter form of politics, because the stakes are so low." – Wallace Stanley Sayre

    --
    http://alternatives.rzero.com/
  7. Oh dear... by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 4, Funny

    Really? Do we have to have this conversation? Okay...

    When a mummy dog and a daddy dog love each other very much, mummy dog gives daddy dog a special piggy back ride...

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:Oh dear... by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      You're gonna raise some really screwed up kids ... but screwed up in an interesting way.

  8. Re:competitive by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 3, Funny

    Wow, who would have thought there was so much glory in being the 'origins of dog' guy.

    Maybe they're dyslexic.

  9. Dogs come from dogs. by AndyKron · · Score: 2

    Dogs come from dogs, and cats come from cats. You never see a cat coming from a dog, or a duck from a crocodile. God made each animal as it's own kind. /s

  10. Re:TGIF by Mikkeles · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...we will instead end up knowing WHY dogs lick their balls...

    Because they can.

    --
    Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
  11. Re:TGIF by pubwvj · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you could reach you would too and you wouldn't get anything else done. This flexibility is why dogs never achieved the great advances of mankind like space flight and nuclear bombs. Imagine if men were that flexible...

  12. Re:TGIF by Ol+Olsoc · · Score: 4, Funny

    But given the state of the competitive behavior in academic circles we will instead end up knowing WHY dogs lick their balls...

    Over and out!

    Because they can!

    Two guys were walking down the street, and notice a dog sitting there licking it's balls, giving them a real workover.

    One says to the other "Gee, I really wish I could do that." Other one replies, "Don't you think you should check with the dog first?"

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    The shepherds did so well protecting the flock that the sheep no longer believed that wolves existed.
  13. 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.

    1. Re:Multiple domestications by Puff_Of_Hot_Air · · Score: 5, Informative

      If you read the article (I know, I know), you would have seen that the evidence for multiple domestication events can be misleading (as was first believed in pigs, and then disproved). This research will hopefully get to the bottom of it.

  14. Re:competitive by Nidi62 · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...and trying to put aside years of bad blood and bruised egos.

    Wow, who would have thought there was so much glory in being the 'origins of dog' guy.

    Must be a bunch of glory hounds

    --
    The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
  15. 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.

  16. Oblig. Joke by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    Did you hear about the dyslexic agnostic insomniac?

    He stayed up all night wondering if there is a Dog.

  17. Re:TGIF by cfalcon · · Score: 2

    You're joking, but it really would be nice if dog breeds were bred for stuff like "lives a long healthy life" instead of "skin folds on face".

  18. Humans probably kept the less dominant ... by drnb · · Score: 2

    The shy wolf we can discount to a degree, as they didn't come near human settlements all that much. Any inquisitive & aggressive wolf that came close would find itself that night's wolfburger. That leaves inquisitive & friendly as the wolf roaming around human settlements.

    Its not that simple. There is the possibility of acquiring wolves as a pup, so any personality type could grow up around a group of humans and look at these humans as their pack. It actually seems more likely pups were domesticated, they would be more likely to view the humans as their pack than a wild adult wolf.

    Substituting "less dominant" for "shy" and "more dominant" for "aggressive" may be more accurate with respect to personality types. These less dominant wolves were probably the ones who were the easiest to live and interact with, being more inclined to be submissive to a human rather than only being submissive to those humans who physically dominate them. That said, both dominance extremes are entire trainable, will guard the pack, protect children from outsiders, etc.

  19. I'll take my millions of dollars in research funds by swschrad · · Score: 2

    right now. I have the answer.

    dogs come from puppies

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    if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?