WIKIMEDIA, JAMIE LANTZYSeveral groups of genes in humans and dogs appear to have evolved in parallel, most likely as a result of living in the same environment since we first domesticated our canine companions, according to a study published this week (May 15) in Nature Communications.
An international team of researchers sequenced the whole genomes of four grey wolves, three indigenous Chinese street dogs, and three domesticated breeds—a German shepherd, a Belgian malinois, and a Tibetan mastiff. The team’s analyses of these genomes put the split between wolves and dogs at around 32,000 years ago—much earlier than previous estimates of when domestication began. The results also suggest that domestication may have started in Asia, rather than the Middle East as other studies have indicated.
The researchers then identified a list of genes—including those involved in digestion, metabolism, cancer, and the transmission of serotonin in the brain—that are under positive selection pressure in dogs and humans alike.
“As domestication is often associated with large increases in population density and crowded living conditions, ...
