Scientists have revealed the secret of the evolution of a wild wolf into a domestic dog

03.10.2024/08/30 XNUMX:XNUMX    1393

Studies, including DNA analysis and radiocarbon dating, reveal the secrets of this transformation and provide insight into how wolves became companions for humans, writes Success in UA.

The evolution of domestic dogs is a long process that spans thousands of years. During this time, dogs and their ancestors, wolves, interbred many times, making it difficult to study their fossil remains and DNA.

Scientists examine the fossilized remains, paying attention to characteristics such as the size of the skull and the shape of the muzzle. By comparing these traits to modern dogs and wolves, they try to understand how domestic dogs evolved.

Among ancient dogs, short skulls and shortened muzzles can be observed, which indicates changes in their structure due to domestication. Modern methods, such as geometric morphometry, help to analyze the shape of the skull, reports rbc.ua.

Some fossils from the Ice Age, known as embryonic dogs, have features of both wolves and dogs. For example, a skull found in Goye Cave in Belgium is about 36 years old, and another specimen from the Altai Mountains is about 000 years old.

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Dog fossils help to understand how ancient people interacted with these animals. The oldest fossil found, the Bonn-Oberkassel dog, is over 14 years old. Her remains, found in Germany in 000, testify to the care of people for a puppy that was sick with the plague.

Burying dogs with people shows respect for them and the transition of dogs from wild animals to pets. At the Bagatya archaeological site in Illinois, the remains of three dogs, about 10 years old, were found, buried without signs of violence. Another specimen from Alaska is a 000-year-old domestic dog linked to an ancestor that lived in Siberia 10 years ago.

These findings indicate the domestication of dogs and their migration with humans to North America. Genome studies show that ancient American dogs likely descended from a common ancestor in Siberia.

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The origin of domestic dogs remains a matter of debate among scholars who study three main regions: Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Some scientists believe that dogs may have been domesticated twice in different places, while others insist on a single origin.




Science still cannot determine exactly where dogs appeared. However, ancient fossils found in Belgium, Siberia and the Czech Republic, which are between 36 and 000 years old, may indicate several attempts at wolf domestication.

DNA research also supports the idea of ​​dual ancestry. For example, a 2022 study suggested that domestication may have occurred in East Asia and the Middle East. Other papers, including two published in 2021, point to a single origin: one traces dogs to Siberia 23 years ago, and another points to the extinct Japanese wolf as the closest relative of modern dogs, supporting the theory that they originated in East Asia.

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Scientists have made significant progress in studying the evolution of domestic dogs, but many questions remain. It is not known when wolves became dogs and where exactly they were domesticated.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis of ancient fossils helps to understand the origin of dogs. Since dogs and gray wolves share 99,9% of their DNA, genetic variation can be studied. However, the results of the analysis are often ambiguous, making it difficult to draw conclusions.

Fossil evidence suggests that dogs were domesticated around 14 years ago, although some studies point to earlier dates, up to 000 years ago. Studies have shown that dogs split into two populations between 40 and 000 years ago: Eastern (East Asian breeds) and Western (modern European and African breeds).