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Mr Kenzo 1:10 Fri Oct 30
Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

A study of dog DNA has shown that our "best friend" in the animal world may also be our oldest one.

The analysis reveals that dog domestication can be traced back 11,000 years, to the end of the last Ice Age.

This confirms that dogs were domesticated before any other known species.

Our canine companions were widespread across the northern hemisphere at this time, and had already split into five different types.

Despite the expansion of European dogs during the colonial era, traces of these ancient indigenous breeds survive today in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Oceania.

The research fills in some of the gaps in the natural history of our close animal companions.

Dr Pontus Skoglund, co-author of the study and group leader of the Ancient Genomics laboratory at London's Crick Institute, told BBC News: "Dogs are really unique in being this quite strange thing if you think about it, when all people were still hunter gatherers, they domesticate what is really a wild carnivore - wolves are pretty frightening in many parts of the world.

"The question of why did people do that? How did that come about? That's what we're ultimately interested in."

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To some extent, dog genetic patterns mirror human ones, because people took their animal companions with them when they moved. But there were also important differences.
For example, early European dogs were initially diverse, appearing to originate from two very distinct populations, one related to Near Eastern dogs and another to Siberian dogs.

But at some point, perhaps after the onset of the Bronze Age, a single dog lineage spread widely and replaced all other dog populations on the continent. This pattern has no counterpart in the genetic patterns of people from Europe.

Anders Bergström, lead author and post-doctoral researcher at the Crick, said: "If we look back more than four or five thousand years ago, we can see that Europe was a very diverse place when it came to dogs. Although the European dogs we see today come in such an extraordinary array of shapes and forms, genetically they derive from only a very narrow subset of the diversity that used to exist."

An international team analysed the whole genomes (the full complement of DNA in the nuclei of biological cells) of 27 ancient dog remains associated with a variety of archaeological cultures. They compared these to each other and to modern dogs.

The results reveal that breeds like the Rhodesian Ridgeback in southern Africa and the Chihuahua and Xoloitzcuintli in Mexico retain genetic traces of ancient indigenous dogs from the region.

The ancestry of dogs in East Asia is complex. Chinese breeds seem to derive some of their ancestry from animals like the Australian dingo and New Guinea singing dog, with the rest coming from Europe and dogs from the Russian steppe.

The New Guinea singing dog is so named because of its melodious howl, characterised by a sharp increase in pitch at the start.

Greger Larson, a co-author from the University of Oxford, said: "Dogs are our oldest and closest animal partner. Using DNA from ancient dogs is showing us just how far back our shared history goes and will ultimately help us understand when and where this deep relationship began."

Dogs are thought to have evolved from wolves that ventured into human camps, perhaps sniffing around for food. As they were tamed, they could then have served humans as hunting companions or guards.

The results suggest all dogs derive from a single extinct wolf population - or perhaps a few very closely related ones. If there were multiple domestication events around the world, these other lineages did not contribute much DNA to later dogs.

Dr Skoglund said it was unclear when or where the initial domestication occurred. "Dog history has been so dynamic that you can't really count on it still being there to readily read in their DNA. We really don't know - that's the fascinating thing about it."

Many animals, such as cats, probably became our pets when humans settled down to farm a little over 6,000 years ago. Cats were probably useful for controlling pests such as mice, that were attracted by the waste generated by dense settlements. This places their domestication in cradles of agriculture such as the Near East.

"For dogs, it could almost have been anywhere: cold Siberia, the warm Near East, South-East Asia. All of these are possibilities in my mind," Pontus Skoglund explained.

Too Much Too Young 9:16 Wed Nov 4
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

My hound is going into MELTDOWN over the poxy fireworks already. why are cunts letting them off early?

She's got worse each year and now 7 ends up a dribbling, shaking mess by Nov 6th.

Not helped with Indians next door with diwali on soon after either.

WOOF

eusebiovic 5:32 Tue Nov 3
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

My parents used to have a dog called Estrella...half boxer, half german shepherd...

I used to house sit for them when they were in Spain and in the morning I'd make my coffee and croissant and sit on the steps that led to the garden from the kitchen.

Whichever way the wind was blowing she would always sit on that side to shield me from the chill. Nobody trained her, she just did it.

Dogs are very endearing

Gaffer58 9:40 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Dogs are great, they don’t pester about the room requires decorating, are not bothered who wins Strictly, or give a shit if you spend all day in your dressing gown, now a women, they are a complete pain in the arse.

Side of Ham 5:50 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

GO, you leave his testables alone.......

Northern Sold 5:22 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

cheeses cruyf 4:18 Mon Nov 2


Ha ha ha... excellent fella !!!

Council Scum 4:21 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

I also have a Doberman and Rottweiler FC mate

cheeses cruyf 4:18 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Micky Flanagan on dogs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arT8xhlKafo&fbclid=IwAR3PkVuPvVl5MVxgiKTA-hbHysS7XR4C17-4ItgUb3clojwMyvcBv9zMb7w

Golden Oldie 3:54 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Never trust a man who doesn't like dogs.
As true today as your nan telling you never trust a man [or woman] with a beard, I mean what's he trying to hide unless he's got one of them Jimmy Hill chin jobs, besides we've got masks for that now.

Dogs are ace
There's the science, observable, repeatable and testable.
Factafuckingmundo!

White Pony 3:51 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

I don’t mind dogs - I grew up with two massive German shepherds - but their owners these days tend to fall into the bracket of cyclists and vegans for me. Massively over-sensitive, as some of the responses on here show. Some people don’t love dogs. It’s really not that big a deal.

riosleftsock 2:47 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

To show you how long we've all been on here....

About eleven years ago, londonrebel started a post saying that a home was needed for a litter of labrador puppies.

I contacted her (?) and ended up with our puppy black labrador.

Its Ninja's 12th birthday in February, she's still going strong, but she turned out to not be a pure labrador exactly. We found this out when she surpassed the lab weight limit of 31kg before she was 18 months old.

The old lady vet in saffron walden measured all of her vitals (jaw, teeth, chest etc) and told us she's a labrador/rottweiler cross.

So, londonrebel, if you still post or read WHO, thanks for twelve happy years.

Far Cough 2:44 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

CS, you surprise me, I see you more as a Presa Canario kind of bloke

Council Scum 2:39 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

I've got a shihtzu Kenzo. Boss dog

Mr Kenzo 2:07 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

There are some breeds that some men shouldn't have, it just doesn't look right.

ChillTheKeel 2:03 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Gay people need constant attention, just like dog owners. Fact.

Northern Sold 1:59 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Similarly, if a bloke prefers cats to dogs, you know he's probably gay, either openly or closeted. Nothing wrong with that obviously, I'm just dealing with stats.




Ag Ag Ag Ag Ag!!!

ChillTheKeel 12:50 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

I love both cats and dogs, but the latter are obviously for very needy, insecure gaywads.

Mike Oxsaw 12:48 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

The one important thing for me is that there is a claim that all (European) dogs come from a very small gene pool.

Didn't humanity also suffer a similar episode where it is claimed the world's population was only 20,000 and that amongst those is "Eve" with whom we all share some of our DNA?

Was there a common even to cause those instances?

peroni 11:11 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Whether or not a man likes dogs is the single best way to assess his character. I've got no time for a bloke who doesn't love them - wrong'uns. Totally untrustworthy.

If you don't agree, just take a look at the respondents on this thread.

Similarly, if a bloke prefers cats to dogs, you know he's probably gay, either openly or closeted. Nothing wrong with that obviously, I'm just dealing with stats.

only1billybonds 11:08 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

A dog would stand in front of you if a speeding bus was coming at you.

A cat would throw you under the bus.

Mr Kenzo 10:54 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

A dog will save your life a cat will just roll over and go to sleep, mardy little cunts.

Mike Oxsaw 10:50 Mon Nov 2
Re: Dogs are humans' oldest companions, DNA shows

Actually heard a dog bark here last night. Unusual because the locals and most expats detest them (there may even be a clandestine government dog removal service here as I can't recall seeing even one in the almost 4 years I've been here) and will have nothing to do with them.

This one must have wandered down from the mountains and not got squashed en route on account of no traffic on the roads.

I suspect the incumbent cat population will keep it in it's place.

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