By: Wynne Parry, LiveScience Senior Writer
Published: 05/22/2012 07:39 AM EDT on LiveScience
Humans' close relationship to dogs has so far obscured their history so much that it's not yet possible to use genetic data to tease out the details of their domestication, new research indicates.
Their complicated history involves being interbred, as well as transported around the world.
"There's a central irony here which is that because we love them so much, we've completely obliterated their early history and made it more difficult to understand their origins," researcher Greger Larson, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Durham in the United Kingdom, told LiveScience in an email.
Dogs were the first domesticated animal; however, many major questions about their domestication remain. For instance, it's still not clear how many times they were domesticated, where in the Old World this happened, and how many different wolf populations contributed to the modern global population of dogs.
Using genetic data taken from modern breeds so far, it's not yet possible to look back more than about 150 years ago, past the time when Victorians began establishing the tightly defined breeds we know today, Larson said. [What Your Dog's Breed Says About You]
For the previous 15,000 years or so, the genetic history of dogs is a "big blurred mess," he said, explaining that while some selective breeding took place since dogs were defined by their jobs, dogs also breed on their own. In addition, humans transported them around the world and certain varieties even disappeared.
However, some breeds of modern dogs, including Akitas, Afghan hounds, Chinese Shar-Peis, Basenjis, and Salukis, appear to have deeper genetic roots. But the recent analysis indicates that even these "ancient dog breeds" don't trace back more than a couple thousand years and are no closer to the first domesticated dogs than are more modern breeds.
The team analyzed genetic material from 1,375 dogs representing 35 breeds, including six of the "ancient" breeds.
They also mapped out the locations of these breeds in relation to archaeological evidence of ancient domesticated dogs, as well as the ranges of wolves. They found the majority of "ancient" breeds did not derive from regions where the oldest archaeological remainshave been found, and three of them came from ranges outside those of wolves, dogs' wild ancestor.
It follows that the only reason these "ancient" dogs appear different from other modern breeds is they somehow avoided the most recent round of hybridization in the mid-19th century, he said.
However, advanced genetic sequencing technology and techniques to analyze the shapes of fossils, as well as the anatomy of contemporary dogs, are opening up the possibility of answering some of the questions that haven't yet been possible to broach, he said.
The study was detailed online today (May 21) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
You can follow LiveScience senior writer Wynne Parry on Twitter @Wynne_Parry. Follow LiveScience for the latest in science news and discoveries on Twitter @livescience and on Facebook.
Copyright 2012 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
It's Another Trump-Biden Showdown — And We Need Your Help
The Future Of Democracy Is At Stake
Our 2024 Coverage Needs You
Your Loyalty Means The World To Us
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
The 2024 election is heating up, and women's rights, health care, voting rights, and the very future of democracy are all at stake. Donald Trump will face Joe Biden in the most consequential vote of our time. And HuffPost will be there, covering every twist and turn. America's future hangs in the balance. Would you consider contributing to support our journalism and keep it free for all during this critical season?
HuffPost believes news should be accessible to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay for it. We rely on readers like you to help fund our work. Any contribution you can make — even as little as $2 — goes directly toward supporting the impactful journalism that we will continue to produce this year. Thank you for being part of our story.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
It's official: Donald Trump will face Joe Biden this fall in the presidential election. As we face the most consequential presidential election of our time, HuffPost is committed to bringing you up-to-date, accurate news about the 2024 race. While other outlets have retreated behind paywalls, you can trust our news will stay free.
But we can't do it without your help. Reader funding is one of the key ways we support our newsroom. Would you consider making a donation to help fund our news during this critical time? Your contributions are vital to supporting a free press.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our journalism free and accessible to all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.
Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.
Contribute as little as $2 to keep our news free for all.
Can't afford to donate? Support HuffPost by creating a free account and log in while you read.
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. Would you consider becoming a regular HuffPost contributor?
Dear HuffPost Reader
Thank you for your past contribution to HuffPost. We are sincerely grateful for readers like you who help us ensure that we can keep our journalism free for everyone.
The stakes are high this year, and our 2024 coverage could use continued support. If circumstances have changed since you last contributed, we hope you'll consider contributing to HuffPost once more.
Support HuffPostAlready contributed? Log in to hide these messages.