Origin of the Domestic Dog [Thomas Leitner]

[Marcus G. Daniels]

Hi all,

Attached is a phylogenetics talk coming up next at the Santa Fe Complex
that may be of interest.
Also, I see a schedule of other upcoming talks is available at this URL:

      http://cnls.lanl.gov/q-bio/seminar-series/index.php/Public_Lectures

Cheers,

Marcus

CNLS Sponsored Talk



Tuesday, October 21st,2008

7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

SANTA FE COMPLEX - Santa Fe Railyard

Origin of the Domestic Dog

Thomas Leitner
T-6, LANL

Man\'s best friend is also his oldest animal friend. Analysis of mitochondrial
DNA from dogs worldwide show that virtually all dog breeds share their ancestry
in wolves domesticated in southeastern Asia. Evolutionary analyses showed that
using a molecular clock that describes how fast DNA changes over time, this
domestication occurred less than 16,000 years ago. Further analyses showed that
the domestication most likely took place in the cultures south of Yangtze River
from at least 48 female wolf founders. The place and time coincide with the
origin of rice agriculture, suggesting an origin among sedentary
hunter-gatherers or early rice farmers. The numerous founders indicate that wolf
taming was an important cultural trait, and it is noticeable that in this region
dogs are since ancient times used as food, offering an alternative explanation
for the wolf domestication. The origin of the Australian Dingo will also be
discussed.

Dogs are welcome to this presentation. If you have an unusual breed and would
like to donate a few hair shafts (with the root) to future research on dog
evolution I would be happy to add it to our sample bank.

Dr. Leitner will be introduced by Dr. Bette Korber, Laboratory Fellow, Los
Alamos National Laboratory.


LANL Host: Q-Bio Public Lecture Series

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