Dog domestication first started in Europe

The Dhaka Times Desk Dogs are one of the most faithful domesticated animals. There is no end to the signs of dog devotion. The question may come, how did the dog come under humans? At what time did the dog submit to humans? According to a new study, dog domestication began in Europe.

The ancestor of the dog was the wolf. About 15,000 years ago, a type of primitive wolf became a hunting partner for humans. Humans continue to use these wolves for their own needs. People started using wolves for daily tasks, carrying food or hunting. Over time, the wolf's wildness and ferocity decrease due to the influence of the surrounding environment to live with humans. At one stage it comes under the control of people. According to some, this subjugation of dogs dates back to 100,000 years ago. However, some consider the domestication of dogs to be more recent.

Scientists were fairly certain that dogs evolved from wolves. However, it was difficult for scientists to figure out exactly when dogs were domesticated. At the same time, its geographical location has always been disputed. This debate has been going on for a long time. Leaving behind various controversies, DNA research proved the correct information. Scientists have found strong evidence that humans first domesticated dogs in Europe.

According to an article published in the journal Nature in 2010, the process of domestication started most likely in Middle Eastern countries. The following year, another research paper found that Southwest Asian countries were the birthplace of domestication. But none were universally accepted. Scientists could not reach a conclusion.

Recently, the research team led by Professor Olaf Thalmann of the University of Turku in Finland has provided surprising information. They were able to determine the geographic location of the animals by closely comparing the fossil DNA of the earliest wolves and dog-like animals with the DNA of modern dogs and wolves. Thalmann's research team claimed that Europe was the birthplace of dog domestication.

Olaf Thalmann, head of the expert team, said: "The results of our research do not mean that Europe is the only place where dogs are becoming domesticated." We can conclude that Europe played a major role in the process of dog domestication.

Meanwhile, experts applauded the research work. However, they also say that this will not end the debate on the issue definitively. There are many other etymological studies in dogs.

The research team collected DNA from 18 dog and wolf samples. The samples were fossils of animals that roamed Argentina, Belgium, Russia, Germany, Switzerland and the United States 36,000 years ago. DNA samples were collected from 49 wolves currently found. These animals are collected from different parts of the world such as: North America, Asia, Europe and Middle East. Among them, the DNA of 77 dogs of various breeds was collected. The team analyzed the DNA. After analysis, it was found that most of the samples matched those from Europe.

The research paper is detailed In Sciencemag has been published.

References: The Tech Journal, Sciencemag, The Huffington Post, Fox News, wiki