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Ancient DNA Reveals Europe’s First Dogs Came From Eastern Wolves — Not Local Ones
- New genetic analysis shows Europe’s first dogs appeared over 14,000 years ago and mainly descended from eastern wolves.
- Researchers found that European dogs trace most of their ancestry to eastern Eurasian wolves, not local European wolves.
- The research suggests domestication began long before farming and involved a shared origin with dogs elsewhere.
- The Swiss dog showed genetic closeness to modern European dogs, implying early domestication occurred before widespread farming.
- Farming’s spread did not drastically replace dog populations; many lineages persisted through migrations.
- The study used advanced techniques to isolate ancient canid DNA from contamination.
- A 13,700-year-old Belgian specimen previously thought to be a dog was reclassified as a wolf.
- Europe’s oldest genetically verified dog dates to 14,200 years ago from Switzerland.
- Earlier oldest dog evidence dated to about 10,900 years ago before these findings.
- The study broadens the understanding of how dogs influenced later European dog lineages and farming societies.
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