Study Brings a New Discovery on Dogs

As a student, Dr. William Marsh looked through the drawers of the Natural History Museum. He uncovered an old research paper. As he read through it, he decided to test the question of the research paper. When he tested his theories, he rushed to his colleagues to share his shocking news. Dogs have been pets for much longer than we expected.

Dr. William Marsh’s recent study has brought a new discovery for dogs. Before his study, scientists thought that dogs were domesticated thousands of years ago, in the last Ice Age, which was 12,000 years ago. However, his study has proved that dogs have been with humans for much longer, and he has estimated that they have been with us for 5,000 years earlier than what scientists used to believe.

The fossil used in Dr. William Marsh’s studies was found in Cheddar Gorge, Somerset, in the 1920s. When testing the fossil, previous studies used skeletal measurements and short DNA sequences to find the earliest presence of dogs (in the archeological record). Unlike these previous studies, the Natural History Museum states that “researchers from 17 institutions recovered whole genomes from archaeological specimens older than 10,000 years excavated from Upper Palaeolithic sites, including Gough’s Cave in the UK, and Pınarbaşı in Türkiye. They then compared the genomes with more than 1,000 modern and ancient dogs and wolves from across the world.” This showed them new information about the domestication of dogs and when it happened.

Dr. William Marsh states, “The genetic identification of two Paleolithic dogs from Gough’s Cave and Pınarbaşı represents a step-change in our understanding of the earliest dogs.” This discovery allowed him and his team to find other specimens of other dogs that were domesticated long ago.

His study provided different clues on the domestication of animals around the world. It also proved that humans domesticated dogs long before we thought. Researchers and scientists are still investigating this topic and looking for new clues.

Sources:

https://www.nhm.ac.uk/press-office/press-releases/world-s-oldest-genetic-evidence-for-domestic-dogs-identified-in-.html