Dogs have descended from two populations of ancient wolves study reveals

www.nature.com...

Title of Paper: Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs

Abstract

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the first species to give rise to a domestic population, and they remained widespread throughout the last Ice Age when many other large mammal species went extinct. Little is known, however, about the history and possible extinction of past wolf populations or when and where the wolf progenitors of the present-day dog lineage (Canis familiaris) lived. Here we analysed 72 ancient wolf genomes spanning the last 100,000 years from Europe, Siberia and North America. We found that wolf populations were highly connected throughout the Late Pleistocene, with levels of differentiation an order of magnitude lower than they are today. This population connectivity allowed us to detect natural selection across the time series, including rapid fixation of mutations in the gene IFT88 40,000–30,000 years ago. We show that dogs are overall more closely related to ancient wolves from eastern Eurasia than to those from western Eurasia, suggesting a domestication process in the east. However, we also found that dogs in the Near East and Africa derive up to half of their ancestry from a distinct population related to modern southwest Eurasian wolves, reflecting either an independent domestication process or admixture from local wolves. None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located.

A very interesting peer-reviewed paper discussing the possibility dogs have descended from two different populations of ancient wolves and specifically one from Eastern Asia and another one from Europe/Middle East.

There are two scenarios relating to domestication. It seems we have at least two separate domestication events one in Europe and one in Asia. It's possible dogs have been domesticated in multiple locations after all.

And at one point migrants from Asia brought their domesticated dogs to Europe resulting in the breeding of a hybrid species of dogs as Eastern domesticated dogs mated with Western domesticated dogs.

The analysis of 72 ancient wolf genomes revealed that dogs are more genetically related to ancient wolves in Asia than wolves in Europe. Evidence from the dog genome suggested dogs were domesticated in Asia 15,000 years ago but a separate domestication of dogs likely took place in Europe earlier.

So, dogs came from wolves, shocking
Am I missing something?

sitn.hms.harvard.edu...#:~:text=As%20cousins%20to%20wolves%20and, wolf%2C%20are%20now%20different%20species.

Another very interesting article on the attempted domestication of foxes and what can we learn from this process.

There has been great interest in the selective breeding of animals that can coexist with humans throughout history. In particular, biologists have been trying to understand the process of how dogs became domesticated, earning the mantle of “man’s best friend”.

originally posted by: Creaky
So, dogs came from wolves, shocking
Am I missing something?

It looks like dogs descended from two distinct populations of wolves. This was something unknown until recently.

originally posted by: Venkuish1
www.nature.com...

Title of Paper: Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs

Abstract


" None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located."

Will they ever find the exact progenitor populations?

They are talking about "related", rather than direct ancestry.

a reply to: Venkuish1

Genetics? Evolution?? Uhm.. Venkuish1.. God is just dog backwards. #Proof.

Sorry - i couldn't resist

Seriously - very cool. I find it fascinating how after all the thousands of years of evolution and adaptation, so many remnants of the wolf resides in our pets.

How my Mali will howl at certain times just has this soul-cutting sound, like when you hear wolves howl. Love them

a reply to: Venkuish1

My Saluki thinks he's a person, so there is that.

originally posted by: NoOneButMeAgain
a reply to: Venkuish1

Genetics? Evolution?? Uhm.. Venkuish1.. God is just dog backwards. #Proof.

Sorry - i couldn't resist

Seriously - very cool. I find it fascinating how after all the thousands of years of evolution and adaptation, so many remnants of the wolf resides in our pets.

How my Mali will howl at certain times just has this soul-cutting sound, like when you hear wolves howl. Love them

I fully understand your sarcasm and I have encountered the same arguments about evolution in other threads but in the creationism corner of the site.

It's very interesting dogs seem to have descended from two distinct populations of wolves. They were domesticated separately in Europe and Asia. Then with the movement of people from Asia to Europe another hybrid species was created when dogs from Asia and Europe bred with each other.

This can explain the huge diversity of dogs and the many different types of breeds exist today.

I think we all knew dogs came from wolf breeds. Two disctict breeds makes sense given the ice age, and the domestication makes sense, too because we make great hunting partners and willingly share with our companions. Let's just pray that great apes and tigers never figure this out.

originally posted by: Arbitrageur

originally posted by: Venkuish1
www.nature.com...

Title of Paper: Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs

Abstract


" None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located."

Will they ever find the exact progenitor populations?

They are talking about "related", rather than direct ancestry.

Looks a very difficult task due to the possibility of mixed lineages.

What I think is very important to consider is that dogs and wolves can interbreed producing offspring that are fertile and produce offspring of their own. The same can happen with coyotes and jackals.

I don't think is wrong to call all of them one species!

a reply to: Venkuish1

Err....I thought dogs descended from the two wolves that were on Noah's Ark?

a reply to: Freeborn

Nah... That was a... Weird conundrum... They're man's best friend for a reason, right?

I just find the whole process fascinating, not least because my dog is my best buddy. But the fact that I am positive his expressions are not just meaningful but purposeful.

Dogs developed a range of facial expressions after humans domesticated them

a reply to: NoOneButMeAgain

But the fact that I am positive his expressions are not just meaningful but purposeful.

You might find the likes of this short video interesting.

a reply to: Venkuish1

Was unknown to recently?
What, did scientists think dogs descended from elephants in Africa

This is just so dumb

originally posted by: Creaky
a reply to: Venkuish1

Was unknown to recently?
What, did scientists think dogs descended from elephants in Africa

This is just so dumb

We knew dogs are descended from wolves but we don't know the details and it seems they descended from two distinct populations, one in Europe and one in Asia (that's new).

originally posted by: NoOneButMeAgain
I just find the whole process fascinating, not least because my dog is my best buddy. But the fact that I am positive his expressions are not just meaningful but purposeful.

Dogs developed a range of facial expressions after humans domesticated them

Considering the interbreeding between dogs of different geographical areas (reality) and perhaps there could have been more than two separate domestication events (speculation based on the article I ve linked)

a reply to: Venkuish1
Dogs were likely domesticated in more than two distinct places. Common sense would suggest there were many groups of people that domesticated wild dogs, but most didn't travel to other places. When a few did, their dogs went with them and intermixed along the way.

a reply to: Venkuish1

I saw this article yesterday and was tempted to post it. Being a dog owner I found it an interesting read, the study of genomes both ancient and modern does seem to be advancing our understanding of evolution...

originally posted by: Albone
a reply to: Venkuish1
Dogs were likely domesticated in more than two distinct places. Common sense would suggest there were many groups of people that domesticated wild dogs, but most didn't travel to other places. When a few did, their dogs went with them and intermixed along the way.

That's what I think too and the author of the paper has made a similar comment as far as I remember.

The very important point we seem to forget is that dogs can breed with wolves, jackals, coyotes, producing fertile offspring which makes me think they should be classified as one species.