Humans and dogs reportedly evolved together.
Dogs are known as man’s best friend, and new research suggests that human and canine genetics have evolved together over thousands of years of cohabitation in the same environment.
Researchers from the Kunming Institute of Zoology, working with a team of scientists from other institutions, have identified groups of genetic traits related to diet, digestion and neurological processes that have evolved together in humans and dogs.
The study also claims that the domestication of dogs began 32 thousand years ago, while current estimates range from 15 thousand to 16 thousand years.
By comparing the genetics of Chinese street dogs, wolves in Russia and China, and domesticated breed dogs, the researchers think that the domestication of the canine species happened in South East Asia.
Dr. Ya-Ping Zhang, who led the study said: “early wolves might have been domesticated as scavengers that were attracted to live and hunt commensally with humans.
With successive adaptive changes, these scavengers became progressively more prone to human custody.”
