PIXABAY, 3194556Modern dogs may have originated from a single group of wolves domesticated in Europe around 40,000 years ago, according to a study published today (July 18) in Nature Communications.

To analyze the genetic origin of dogs, researchers first sequenced the genomes from the remains of two Neolithic dogs, one around 7,000-years-old and another approximately 4,700-years-old, discovered at archeological sites in Germany. They then compared the genetic information from these two canines—and the DNA of 5,000-year-old dog remains found in Ireland—to that of 5,649 modern dogs and wolves.

According to the study’s authors, the results of this analysis suggest that all modern-day dogs originated from a single group of wolves domesticated around 40,000 years ago in Europe.

“Given the high degree of sharing of sweeps [genetic signatures] between these ancient samples and modern samples, it seems clear that these dogs descend from a single domestication origin,” Adam Boyko,...