Tuesday, January 24, 2012

DNA evidence follows the pack

[Not rock pile related]
Here is an article about the domestication of dogs. I love this sentence:

..."In other words, man's best friends may have originated from more than one ancient ancestor, contrary to what some DNA evidence previously has indicated."

4 comments :

pwax said...

I decided to put this rant in a comment:

I may be mis-remembering, but I think it was all the DNA evidence. But with this new find, you can count the minutes until they redo the DNA evidence to come up with the "correct" (i.e desired) result. I believe that DNA evaluation is not a science and, I may be howling at the moon here, but the famous "The Great Diaspora" by Cavalli-Sforza is complete rubbish because, among other problems, the DNA "clock" calibrations are taken from the same research they are purporting to confirm.

Tim MacSweeney said...

Native American Dogs became extinct after contact with European diseases, I believe I've read somewhere...

Anonymous said...

I recall a Smithsonian Magazine article from some years ago; that the feral yellow dog found roaming the South may be mostly descended from the Native American breeds of dogs. Their Northern counterparts had disappeared by the 60s due to stringent leash laws and the campaign to euthanize strays. I remember their type: a sharp pointed nose and large pointed ears, a slender build on the small side of medium. Their tails were often thin and curled and their coats were a light brown (yellowish). Considered mutts, they were often found around farms and in the homes of folks of modest means.

pwax said...

It is fun to replace the phrase "Man's best friend" with the phrase "Ancient Man in America".