Thursday 11 July 2013

American Dogs Come From Asia

European colonization of the Americas brought smallpox, starvation and warfare that decimated indigenous populations.

But the canine companions that crossed the Bering Strait with the ancient people who first settled the Americas have fared better, according to new research, published today (July 9) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

A new genetic analysis of hundreds of American dog breeds reveals that the canines' ancient roots trace back to Asia. On average, less than 30 percent of their DNA comes from Europe, suggesting dogs came to the Americas with the ancient humans who established pre-Columbian civilizations.

No comments:

Post a Comment

You only need to enter your comment once! Comments will appear once they have been moderated. This is so as to stop the would-be comedian who has been spamming the comments here with inane and often offensive remarks. You know who you are!

Related Posts with Thumbnails

ShareThis