(Credit: Kjell Eson / flickr)
Dogs are one of the great unsolved mysteries of domestication. They were the first thing we ever tamed–before any plant, before any other animal. Yet, despite decades of research, scientists still can’t agree on where or even when dogs arose. Various teams have battled each other in scientific papers and in the press. Now an unprecedented collaboration of archaeologists and geneticists has brought the warring camps together for the first time. The group is analyzing thousands of bones from around the world, employing new techniques, and trying to put aside years of bad blood and bruised egos. If it succeeds, it may finally uncover the history of man’s oldest friend.
For more on this story, including everything we currently know about where dogs came from, check out my latest feature for Science, “Dawn of the Dog“. [pdf]