Dogs’ and humans' joint history stretches back into Paleolithic era

Dogs and humans have lived alongside each other for so long, unravelling the history of when the relationship between the two mammals began is a tricky task.

But new research, examining the genome sequences of ancient dogs from up to 11,000 years ago, sheds more light on the history of the species and humans’ role in engineering “man’s best friend”.

A research team lead by Anders Bergström, a postdoctoral fellow of the Francis Crick Institute, sequenced 27 ancient dog genomes from across Europe and Asia, and have found that at least five major dog lineages had already diversified and spread worldwide by 11,000 years ago, suggesting “a considerable genetic history during the Paleolithic era”.

“The dog is the oldest domesticated animal and has a very long relationship with humans. Therefore, understanding the history of dogs teaches us not just about their history, but also about our history,” Dr Bergström said.