Scientists and researchers have been in a long argument where dogs first appeared, and now, a new study points to more evidence leading to two answers. From their wolf ancestors, dogs became domesticated via this process, where this new study reveals how this domestication occurred twice, both in Asia and in Eastern Europe.

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According to the lead author of the study, Laurent Frantz from Oxford University, these findings were slightly surprising, since animals that have grown to become domesticated usually come from a single origin. The team also says that their conclusion is just a hypothesis, as they are still in the process of assessing it.

The first domesticated animal in the world are dogs which means they are already domesticated even before human ancestors became farmers and domesticated cattle and other animals. Dogs have evolved from wolves when these vicious creatures began to co-exist with humans, most likely when they sniff out and forage the food left behind by humans.

In this new study, researchers based these new findings from genetic analysis and archaeological records, including the complete genome sequence of the dog that existed in Ireland some 4,800 years ago and other genetic data from 59 dogs that originated from Europe between 3,000 to 14,000 years ago. These ancient genetic data was then compared with 685 genes of modern day dogs.

The results revealed that dogs have emerged from wolves living in Asia and from another different wolf population near eastern Europe. These Asian dogs were then accompanied by humans as they travelled to the western regions and arrived near the territory of the other European dogs between 6,000 to 14,000 years ago, and have either replaced them completely or interbred with them, merging the two populations together, producing an entire new genetically different population from the Asian dogs.

Frantz adds that many dogs today also possess a genetic history from both of these eastern and western dog population groups. This new study is published in the journal Science.

TagsDogs, domesticated dogs, dogs twice domestication, origin of dogs