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Journal article

The evolutionary history of dogs in the Americas

Abstract:
Dogs were present in the Americas before the arrival of European colonists, but the origin and fate of these precontact dogs are largely unknown.We sequenced 71 mitochondrial and 7 nuclear genomes fromancient North American and Siberian dogs from time frames spanning ~9000 years. Our analysis indicates that American dogs were not derived from North American wolves. Instead, American dogs form a monophyletic lineage that likely originated in Siberia and dispersed into the Americas alongside people. After the arrival of Europeans, native American dogs almost completely disappeared, leaving a minimal genetic legacy in modern dog populations.The closest detectable extant lineage to precontact American dogs is the canine transmissible venereal tumor, a contagious cancer clone derived froman individual dog that lived up to 8000 years ago.
Publication status:
Published
Peer review status:
Peer reviewed

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Publisher copy:
10.1126/science.aao4776

Authors


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Institution:
University of Oxford
Division:
Social Sciences Division
Department:
Archaeology
Role:
Author



Publisher:
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Journal:
Science More from this journal
Volume:
361
Issue:
697
Pages:
81-85
Publication date:
2018-07-06
Acceptance date:
2018-05-10
DOI:


Pubs id:
pubs:864633
UUID:
uuid:d5e19a9e-7628-4239-a0ac-e25e6af6d3bb
Local pid:
pubs:864633
Source identifiers:
864633
Deposit date:
2018-07-06

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