Geneticists have identified the first dogs home

Dogs - friends of man. This is true for many thousands of years. But there were dogs, and where the man began to make friends with them first? The team of scientists from different countries could clarify this issue. In order to give a clear answer, the scientists decided to analyze the genotype of modern dogs.

The head of the team was the Swedish geneticist Peter Savolainen ((Peter Savolainen), which is already about 15 years trying to figure out, where do come from our pets. The usual way, by looking for fossils, scientists believe, nothing is impossible to achieve, since the data obtained by archaeologists, rather fragmented. Therefore, you must take the source of information that until recently (relatively, of course) was a scientist is not available - it is animal DNA.

In 2002 Savolainen team examined mitochondrial DNA 654 dogs from all over the world. As it turned out, the maximum genetic diversity in East Asia. In 2009, the border region has been refined - an area covering some regions of southern China, northern Thailand, Vietnam and Laos. According to the Swedish scientist, the region with the greatest genetic diversity - this is the birthplace of dogs. Over time, the animals migrated away, carried off only a certain part of the gene.

Already, the scientists analyzed the genome has 46 dogs and 12 wolves from different regions. Among other "objects" - a breed of dog that has long lived in certain areas. This Alaskan Malamute, Afghan Hound, Siberian Husky, Chihuahua. As the results of the analysis, the birthplace of the dogs could be the South East Asia, where did the maximum genetic diversity in dogs.

As for the time of origin, the scientists identified it in 33 thousand years - then, 33,000 years ago, dogs were allocated in an independent kind. It may well be that the dogs appeared later, and 33 thousand years ago, the region has gone from a certain group of wolves.

But the scientists were able to determine that the continent dogs began to spread about 15 thousand years ago, came to Europe more than 10 thousand years ago.

Source: geektimes.ru/post/267778/