focalinterest.net

AI Summary of Scholarly Research

This page presents an AI-generated summary of a published research paper. The original authors did not write or review this article. [See full disclosure ↓]

Early European dogs shared ancestry with later worldwide dogs

Written by

editor@focalinterest.com

in

Research area:biology-geneticsgenetics-genomics

What the study found

The study found that the oldest dog DNA recovered here, from a 14,200-year-old dog in Switzerland, shares ancestry with later dogs around the world. The authors also report that dog genetic diversification had already started before that time.

Why the authors say this matters

The study suggests that European Upper Palaeolithic dogs were not wholly the result of a separate domestication process. The authors conclude that Mesolithic dogs likely contributed substantially to later European dogs, including probably modern ones.

What the researchers tested

The researchers analyzed 216 canid remains, including 181 from Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Europe. They used a genome-wide capture approach that enriched endogenous DNA by 10-100-fold and helped distinguish dog from wolf ancestry in 141 of the 216 remains.

What worked and what didn't

The genome-wide method successfully recovered dog data from ancient remains, including the 14,200-year-old Kesslerloch specimen. The Kesslerloch dog showed more affinity to Mesolithic, Neolithic, and present-day European dogs than to Asian dogs, and the study found a Neolithic influx of Southwest Asian ancestry into Europe that was smaller than the comparable human influx.

What to keep in mind

The abstract does not describe detailed limitations beyond the available genetic sampling and the ancestry comparisons reported here. The summary is limited to the remains and populations named in the abstract.

Key points

  • The oldest dog data recovered came from a 14,200-year-old dog in Switzerland.
  • That dog shared ancestry with later dogs worldwide.
  • The Kesslerloch dog was more similar to European dogs than to Asian dogs.
  • The study found evidence for Southwest Asian ancestry entering Europe in the Neolithic.
  • The authors suggest Mesolithic dogs contributed substantially to later European dogs.

Disclosure

Research title:
Early European dogs shared ancestry with later worldwide dogs
Authors:
Anders Bergström, Anja Furtwängler, Sarah Johnston, Erika Rosengren, Abagail Breidenstein, Thomas Booth, Jesse B. McCabe, Jessica Peto, Mia Williams, Monica Kelly, Frankie Tait, Chris Baumann, Rita Radzevičiūtė, Christopher Barrington, Kyriaki Anastasiadou, Alexandre Gilardet, Isabelle Glocke, Mattias Sherman, Anastasia Brativnyk, Alexander Herbig, Kay Prüfer, Saskia Pfrengle, Joscha Gretzinger, Tatiana R. Feuerborn, Ella Reiter, Anna Linderholm, Sophy Charlton, Fernando Racimo, Lea Mikkola, Hugo Anderson-Whymark, Douglas Baird, Anne Birgitte Gotfredsen, Hervé Bocherens, Anne Bridault, Rainer Brocke, Dorothée G. Drucker, Andrew Fairbairn, Laurent Frantz, Boris Gasparyan, Liane Giemsch, Mietje Germonpré, Luc Janssens, Andrew W. Kandel, Kurt Kjær, Martina Lázničková-Galetová, Daniel Loponte, Ola Magnell, Louise Martin, Susanne C. Münzel, Gökhan Mustafaoğlu, Bjørnar Måge, Angela Perri, Franziska Pfenninger, Martina Roblíčková, Annelise Roman-Binois, Özlem Sarıtaş, Katharina Schäppi, J. Alison Sheridan, Karl-Göran Sjögren, Jan Storå, Lasse Sørensen, Yvonne Tafelmaier, Florian Ter-Nedden, Olaf Thalmann, Greger Larson, Verena J. Schuenemann, Johannes Krause, Pontus Skoglund
Institutions:
Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité, Archéologies et Sciences de l’Antiquité, Binghamton University, British Institute at Ankara, Centre for Palaeogenetics, Centre for Palaeogenetics, Centre for Palaeogenetics, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Frankfurt Zoological Society, Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Genomics (United Kingdom), Ghent University, Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Histoire Naturelle des Humanités Préhistoriques, Hitit Üniversitesi, Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography, Institute of Natural Sciences, Jewish Museum, Kantonsarchäologie, Kantonsarchäologie, Kantonsschule Schaffhausen, Kantonsschule Schaffhausen, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Lund University, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Moravian Museum, Moravian Museum, Museum zu Allerheiligen, National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, National Historical Museums, National Historical Museums, National Museum of Denmark, National Museums Scotland, National Museums Scotland, Oxford Archaeology, Oxford Archaeology, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt/M, Sjællands Universitetshospital, Nykøbing F., State Administration of Cultural Heritage, Stockholm University, Stockholm University, Structure et Instabilité des Génomes, Studi, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The Francis Crick Institute, The University of Queensland, Turku Centre for Biotechnology, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, University College London, University College London, University of Basel, University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, University of Copenhagen, University of East Anglia, University of Exeter, University of Gothenburg, University of Liverpool, University of Oxford, University of Oxford, University of Reading, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen, University of Tübingen, University of Turku, University of Vienna, University of York, University of Zurich, University of Zurich, University of Zurich, Yerevan State University
Publication date:
2026-03-25
DOI:
10.1038/s41586-026-10112-7
OpenAlex record:
View
AI provenance: This post was generated by gpt-5.4-mini (OpenAI). The original authors did not write or review this post.

More posts