5 research outputs found
Ancient goat genomes reveal mosaic domestication in the Fertile Crescent.
Current genetic data are equivocal as to whether goat domestication occurred multiple times or was a singular process. We generated genomic data from 83 ancient goats (51 with genome-wide coverage) from Paleolithic to Medieval contexts throughout the Near East. Our findings demonstrate that multiple divergent ancient wild goat sources were domesticated in a dispersed process that resulted in genetically and geographically distinct Neolithic goat populations, echoing contemporaneous human divergence across the region. These early goat populations contributed differently to modern goats in Asia, Africa, and Europe. We also detect early selection for pigmentation, stature, reproduction, milking, and response to dietary change, providing 8000-year-old evidence for human agency in molding genome variation within a partner species
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Ancient cattle genomics, origins, and rapid turnover in the Fertile Crescent.
Genome-wide analysis of 67 ancient Near Eastern cattle, Bos taurus, remains reveals regional variation that has since been obscured by admixture in modern populations. Comparisons of genomes of early domestic cattle to their aurochs progenitors identify diverse origins with separate introgressions of wild stock. A later region-wide Bronze Age shift indicates rapid and widespread introgression of zebu, Bos indicus, from the Indus Valley. This process was likely stimulated at the onset of the current geological age, ~4.2 thousand years ago, by a widespread multicentury drought. In contrast to genome-wide admixture, mitochondrial DNA stasis supports that this introgression was male-driven, suggesting that selection of arid-adapted zebu bulls enhanced herd survival. This human-mediated migration of zebu-derived genetics has continued through millennia, altering tropical herding on each continent
Ancient goat genomes reveal mosaic domestication in the Fertile Crescent
Current genetic data are equivocal as to whether goat domestication
occurred multiple times or was a singular process. We generated genomic
data from 83 ancient goats (51 with genome-wide coverage) from
Paleolithic to Medieval contexts throughout the Near East. Our findings
demonstrate that multiple divergent ancient wild goat sources were
domesticated in a dispersed process that resulted in genetically and
geographically distinct Neolithic goat populations, echoing
contemporaneous human divergence across the region. These early goat
populations contributed differently to modern goats in Asia, Africa, and
Europe. We also detect early selection for pigmentation, stature,
reproduction, milking, and response to dietary change, providing
8000-year-old evidence for human agency in molding genome variation
within a partner species
Recommended from our members
Ancient cattle genomics, origins, and rapid turnover in the Fertile Crescent
Genome-wide analysis of 67 ancient Near Eastern cattle, remains reveals regional variation that has since been obscured by admixture in modern populations. Comparisons of genomes of early domestic cattle to their aurochs progenitors identify diverse origins with separate introgressions of wild stock. A later region-wide Bronze Age shift indicates rapid and widespread introgression of zebu, from the Indus Valley. This process was likely stimulated at the onset of the current geological age, ~4.2 thousand years ago, by a widespread multicentury drought. In contrast to genome-wide admixture, mitochondrial DNA stasis supports that this introgression was male-driven, suggesting that selection of arid-adapted zebu bulls enhanced herd survival. This human-mediated migration of zebu-derived genetics has continued through millennia, altering tropical herding on each continent