Article
Biology
Bienvenido Martinez-Navarro, Tegenu Gossa, Francesco Carotenuto, Saverio Bartolini-Lucenti, Paul Palmqvist, Asfawossen Asrat, Borja Figueirido, Lorenzo Rook, Elizabeth M. Niespolo, Paul R. Renne, Gadi Herzlinger, Erella Hovers
Summary: In 2017, a fossil of an Ethiopian wolf was discovered in southeastern Ethiopia, providing the earliest evidence of its presence in Africa. The fossil suggests that the Ethiopian wolf faced challenges in the past due to geographic range contractions. Future climate scenarios indicate a significant reduction in suitable territories for the species, further endangering its survival. The recovery of the fossil highlights the importance of research on early human origins and associated biodiversity outside the East African Rift System.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Anthropology
Luc A. A. Janssens, Myriam Boudadi-Maligne, L. David Mech, Dennis F. Lawler
Summary: The study analyzed dental microwear in canids from Predmost site and concluded that morphological differences could distinguish Paleolithic dogs from Pleistocene wolves. However, the authors' conclusions were disputed due to challenges to the morphological criteria, questions about sample size and selection criteria, as well as rejection of the self-domestication hypothesis based on solid knowledge of wolf behavior.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Multidisciplinary
Adam Brumm, Mietje Germonpre, Loukas Koungoulos
Summary: This paper proposes a hypothesis that there might have been a similar relationship between wild-living wolves and mobile groups of foragers in Late Pleistocene Eurasia as there was between Aboriginal foraging communities in Australia and free-ranging dingoes. Hunters would regularly raid wild wolf dens for pre-weaned pups, which were then socialized to humans and kept as companions. This relationship could have had a significant impact on the genetic variation of free-ranging wolves and played a role in the domestication of dogs.
FRONTIERS IN PSYCHOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Anatomy & Morphology
Luc A. A. Janssens, Myriam Boudadi-Maligne, Dennis F. Lawler, F. Robin O'Keefe, Stefan van Dongen
Summary: A recent study on Pleistocene protodogs and wolves identified statistical differences in certain metrics related to domestication, but suggested that these differences may have stemmed from natural morphological variation. Another study on dire wolves found similar outcomes, supporting the hypothesis that natural variation likely drove the observed results in the study of protodogs.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Geography, Physical
Carlo Meloro, Gabriele Sansalone
Summary: The morphology of canid skulls can be used to reveal the impact of climate change, and the study shows that the canid community in the Valdarno region during the early Pleistocene was influenced by seasonal climate conditions and formed a clustered structure.
QUATERNARY SCIENCE REVIEWS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jocelyn Plassais, Bridgett M. vonHoldt, Heidi G. Parker, Alberto Carmagnini, Nicolas Dubos, Ilenia Papa, Kevin Bevant, Thomas Derrien, Lauren M. Hennelly, D. Thad Whitaker, Alex C. Harris, Andrew N. Hogan, Heather J. Huson, Victor F. Zaibert, Anna Linderholm, James Haile, Thierry Fest, Bilal Habib, Benjamin N. Sacks, Norbert Benecke, Alan K. Outram, Mikhail Sablin, Mietje Germonpre, Greger Larson, Laurent Frantz, Elaine A. Ostrander
Summary: Domestic dogs display a 40-fold size difference between breeds, with body size being regulated by multiple genes. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is the main regulator, controlling approximately 15% of the body size variation. By analyzing genome sequences from different species, researchers identified a variant in an antisense long non-coding RNA (IGF1-AS) that interacts with the IGF1 gene, resulting in the dominance of derived mutation in modern wolves and large domestic breeds.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Hillary Jean-Joseph, Gabriella Dooey, Kurt Kotrschal
Summary: Dog behavior differs from wolf behavior in terms of time budgets, with wolves sleeping, walking, and vocalizing more, while dogs forage, sit, and manipulate objects more. Season and time of day have similar effects on the behavior of dogs and wolves. The intrinsic motivation affecting their time budgets is not significantly different, except for the increased responsiveness of dogs to humans.
Article
Behavioral Sciences
G. Wirobski, F. Range, F. S. Schaebs, R. Palme, T. Deschner, S. Marshall-Pescini
Summary: Dogs and wolves were compared in terms of cortisol and oxytocin concentrations, with dogs having higher levels of both hormones, although the difference in oxytocin was relatively small. Male dogs had the highest oxytocin concentrations, while female dogs' levels were similar to wolves. Factors such as feeding status, reproductive phase, and conspecific social interactions significantly affected cortisol and oxytocin concentrations.
HORMONES AND BEHAVIOR
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lauren M. Hennelly, Bilal Habib, Shrushti Modi, Eli K. Rueness, Philippe Gaubert, Benjamin N. Sacks
Summary: The study revealed the genetic differences between Indian and Tibetan wolves at the genome level, as well as their relationship to grey wolves in the phylogenomic context. The findings suggest that southern regions of Asia have been crucial for grey wolf evolution, and that Indian and Tibetan wolves are evolutionary significant units.
Article
Evolutionary Biology
Malgorzata Pilot, Andre E. Moura, Innokentiy M. Okhlopkov, Nikolay Mamaev, Ninna H. Manaseryan, Vahram Hayrapetyan, Natia Kopaliani, Elena Tsingarska, Abdulaziz N. Alagaili, Osama B. Mohammed, Elaine A. Ostrander, Wieslaw Bogdanowicz
Summary: The study reveals that introgressive hybridization between wolves and free-ranging domestic dogs can impact gene pools and phenotypic traits, with free-ranging domestic dogs being more influenced by wolf introgression. This introgression may provide an adaptive advantage to free-ranging domestic dogs, but is mainly driven by drift in wolves.
EVOLUTIONARY APPLICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Ecology
L. David Mech, Luc A. A. Janssens
Summary: Wolves can be domesticated due to their sociality, varied diet, excellent memory, inbreeding tolerance, different personalities, and adaptable lifestyle. However, their fear of humans is a major obstacle to domestication, but collecting young pups and raising them can help in socializing them with humans.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Mohamed A. A. Mahdy, Walid Fathy Mohamed
Summary: This study compared the craniometric measurements of Egyptian red fox and Baladi dog skulls and found significant differences in size and shape between the two species. Certain measurements also showed that the domestic dog had superior values compared to the red fox, providing valuable information for ecological studies, comparative anatomy, and veterinary sciences.
BMC VETERINARY RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Zoology
M. Krofel, J. Hatlauf, W. Bogdanowicz, L. A. D. Campbell, R. Godinho, Y. V. Jhala, A. C. Kitchener, K. -P. Koepfli, P. Moehlman, H. Senn, C. Sillero-Zubiri, S. Viranta, G. Werhahn, F. Alvares
Summary: Successful conservation relies on accurate taxonomy, which is currently unstable for canids in Africa, Eurasia, and Australasia. Recent molecular and morphological studies challenge earlier classifications, particularly for African jackals, Asian wolves, and Australasian dogs. Major knowledge gaps exist, recommendations for future research are provided, and an updated taxonomic framework is proposed based on molecular data, morphology, biogeography, and behavioral ecology.
JOURNAL OF ZOOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Archaeology
Viktor Ya Sergin
Summary: Modern concepts of wolf domestication have been reduced to the hypothesis of self-domestication, but long-term experiments show that the intended result is difficult to achieve. The author suggests moving the issue of wolf domestication to the fields of archaeology and natural sciences, proposing that the interaction between wolves and humans may have led to the emergence of dogs.
ROSSIISKAYA ARKHEOLOGIYA
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Eugenijus Jurgelenas, Indre Jasineviciute, Linas Daugnora
Summary: The raccoon dog, an invasive species in the Baltic countries, exhibits dental and skull-bone pathologies, with tooth absence and periodontitis being the most common. The study found that males have a higher prevalence of these pathologies compared to females. It aimed to compare and analyze the dental and non-dental pathologies in raccoon dog skulls based on sex and nature of the pathologies.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Elwira Szuma, Mietje Germonpre
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ivan N. Bolotov, Alexander Kondakov, Ekaterina S. Konopleva, Ilya V. Vikhrev, Olga Aksenova, Andrey S. Aksenov, Yulia Bespalaya, Alexey Borovskoy, Petr P. Danilov, Gennady A. Dvoryankin, Mikhail Y. Gofarov, Mikhail B. Kabakov, Olga K. Klishko, Yulia S. Kolosova, Artem A. Lyubas, Alexander P. Novoselov, Dmitry M. Palatov, Grigory N. Savvinov, Nikolay M. Solomonov, Vitaly M. Spitsyn, Svetlana E. Sokolova, Alena A. Tomilova, Elsa Froufe, Arthur E. Bogan, Manuel Lopes-Lima, Alexander A. Makhrov, Maxim V. Vinarski
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2020)
Article
Anatomy & Morphology
Patrik Galeta, Martina Laznickova-Galetova, Mikhail Sablin, Mietje Germonpre
Summary: Research suggests that Early Upper Paleolithic dogs may represent a distinct canid group with signs of domestication, distinguishing them from sympatric Pleistocene wolves. These findings add evidence to the idea that these specimens could be Early Upper Paleolithic dogs involved in the daily activities of European forager groups.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Soil Science
Dmitry Karelin, Sergey Goryachkin, Elya Zazovskaya, Vasily Shishkov, Alex Pochikalov, Andrey Dolgikh, Andrey Sirin, Gennady Suvorov, Nimazhap Badmaev, Natalia Badmaeva, Yuri Tsybenov, Anatoly Kulikov, Piotr Danilov, Grigory Savinov, Aleksey Desyatkin, Roman Desyatkin, Gleb Kraev
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jazmin Ramos-Madrigal, Mikkel-Holger S. Sinding, Christian Caroe, Sarah S. T. Mak, Jonas Niemann, Jose A. Samaniego Castruita, Sergey Fedorov, Alexander Kandyba, Mietje Germonpre, Herve Bocherens, Tatiana R. Feuerborn, Vladimir V. Pitulko, Elena Y. Pavlova, Pavel A. Nikolskiy, Aleksei K. Kasparov, Varvara V. Ivanova, Greger Larson, Laurent A. F. Frantz, Eske Willerslev, Morten Meldgaard, Bent Petersen, Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten, Lutz Bachmann, Oystein Wiig, Anders J. Hansen, M. Thomas P. Gilbert, Shyam Gopalakrishnan
Summary: The extant genetic diversity of Canis lupus can be grouped into three distinct clades: Eurasian wolves, American wolves, and domestic dogs. Genetic studies suggest that these groups trace their origins back to a wolf population that expanded during the last glacial maximum and replaced local wolf populations. Ancient genomes from Siberia provide evidence of at least one extinct wolf lineage. Previous studies on Pleistocene Siberian canids have shown two morphological groups, but it is unknown if this classification represents distinct genetic groups. Resequencing of genomes from four Pleistocene canids in Northeast Siberia shows they are genetically more similar to Eurasian wolves, branching off the lineage that gave rise to present-day wolves and dogs. The two previously described morphological groups could represent independent lineages similarly related to present-day wolves and dogs.
Article
Anthropology
Kari A. Prassack, Josephine DuBois, Martina Laznickova-Galetova, Mietje Germonpre, Peter S. Ungar
Summary: The study suggests that canids from the Upper Paleolithic site of Predmosti represent ecologically distinct populations, potentially including Pleistocene wolves and dogs. The two groups show differences in diet and ecology, consistent with interpretations of dog domestication.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Mietje Germonpre, Martine Van den Broeck, Martina Laznickova-Galetova, Mikhail V. Sablin, Herve Bocherens
Summary: Humans played a crucial role in the domestication process of wolves by bringing wolf pups to camp sites and caring for them, which fostered affiliative bonds between the nursing animals and humans. This likely led to the domestication of wolves and ultimately resulted in the emergence of dogs in the Palaeolithic era.
Article
Anthropology
Mietje Germonpre, Martina Laznickova-Galetova, Mikhail Sablin, Herve Bocherens, Kari Prassack
Summary: This study discusses the animal types at the P.redmosti site, criticizing other researches' conclusion that only wild canids were present at the site, pointing out methodological issues and the flaws in the conclusion.
JOURNAL OF ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHAEOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jocelyn Plassais, Bridgett M. vonHoldt, Heidi G. Parker, Alberto Carmagnini, Nicolas Dubos, Ilenia Papa, Kevin Bevant, Thomas Derrien, Lauren M. Hennelly, D. Thad Whitaker, Alex C. Harris, Andrew N. Hogan, Heather J. Huson, Victor F. Zaibert, Anna Linderholm, James Haile, Thierry Fest, Bilal Habib, Benjamin N. Sacks, Norbert Benecke, Alan K. Outram, Mikhail Sablin, Mietje Germonpre, Greger Larson, Laurent Frantz, Elaine A. Ostrander
Summary: Domestic dogs display a 40-fold size difference between breeds, with body size being regulated by multiple genes. Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) is the main regulator, controlling approximately 15% of the body size variation. By analyzing genome sequences from different species, researchers identified a variant in an antisense long non-coding RNA (IGF1-AS) that interacts with the IGF1 gene, resulting in the dominance of derived mutation in modern wolves and large domestic breeds.
Article
Geography, Physical
Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Mietje Germonpre, Mathieu Boudin
Summary: This paper focuses on the study of a Late Pleistocene hyena birth den in Belgium, exploring the potential of carnivore socio-spatial organization as an ecological proxy. The unique data from this site could help further understand spatial strategies of hominins in southern Belgium.
JOURNAL OF QUATERNARY SCIENCE
(2022)
Editorial Material
Anatomy & Morphology
Patrik Galeta, Martina Laznickova-Galetova, Mikhail Sablin, Mietje Germonpre
Summary: Janssens et al. commented on our article, suggesting that the morphological differences between Paleolithic dogs and Pleistocene wolves reflect normal population variation of wolves and that our dataset was small. However, our study shows that the differences between distinct morpho-populations are twice as large as within morpho-populations, and the differences between putative Paleolithic dogs and Pleistocene wolves are relatively large, indicating they may not belong to the same morpho-population.
ANATOMICAL RECORD-ADVANCES IN INTEGRATIVE ANATOMY AND EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Anthropology
Kate Britton, Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Mael Le Corre, Sarah Pederzani, Camille Daujeard, Klervia Jaouen, Delphine Vettese, Thomas Tuetken, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Marie-Helene Moncel
Summary: This study investigated the paleoecology of ungulates and the environmental conditions during the Late Pleistocene in southern France. The results showed differences in diet among different ungulate species, including the extinct giant deer. The study also revealed behavioral plasticity in Late Pleistocene reindeer and their seasonal use of the site by Neanderthals. These findings provide important insights into early human subsistence strategies and decision-making.
JOURNAL OF HUMAN EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Edana Lord, Aurelio Marangoni, Mateusz Baca, Danijela Popovic, Anna Goropashnaya, John R. Stewart, Monika Knul, Pierre Noiret, Mietje Germonpre, Elodie-Laure Jimenez, Natalia Abramson, Sergey Vartanyan, Stefan Prost, Nickolay G. Smirnov, Elena A. Kuzmina, Remi-Andre Olsen, Vadim B. Fedorov, Love Dalen
Summary: This study analyzed ancient and modern genomes of the Eurasian collared lemming and found evidence of population growth and genetic diversification during the early Late Pleistocene. The results also suggest that the warm Eemian interglacial may have caused a genetic bottleneck in the species. Additionally, the study identified temporally structured mitochondrial genome clades during the Late Pleistocene, indicating a dynamic population history. There was also a population in northeastern Siberia that maintained genetic diversity and population size during the end of the Pleistocene, possibly due to suitable conditions during the Holocene.
BMC ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Meeting Abstract
Anthropology
Patrik Galeta, Anna Pankowski
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Anthropology
Julia Becher, Alex Schoeman, Gavin Whitelaw, Stephen Buckley, Jean-Pierre Celliers, Sara Cafisso, Matthias Belser, Maxime Rageot, Cynthianne Spiteri
Summary: This study represents the first application of Organic Residue Analysis (ORA) to southern African early farming pottery to gain a deeper understanding of past human behavior and subsistence patterns. The study found evidence of dairy processing and multi-purpose functionality of the ceramics. It also discovered potential medicinal use and the involvement of dung in pottery sealing and mending.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Jon Clindaniel, Matthew Magnani
Summary: Large sources of digital trace data have become important in the study of material culture. The authors introduce a computational method to observe digital formation processes and highlight the importance of accounting for these processes in studies utilizing digital trace data.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Rebecca A. G. Reid, Miranda M. E. Jans, Lesley A. Chesson, Rebecca J. Taylor, Gregory E. Berg
Summary: Chemical treatment of skeletal remains can reduce overall DNA quality and quantity but has no significant impact on stable isotope ratio analysis. Examination of treated and untreated human remains through histological and stable isotope analysis reveals that treated remains exhibit better preservation compared to untreated remains. Stable isotope ratio analysis is viable for both treated and untreated remains, regardless of their origin.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)
Article
Anthropology
Laura Tome, Eneko Iriartec, Antonio Blanco-Gonzalez, Margarita Jambrina-Enriquez, Natalia Eguez, Antonio V. Herrera-Herrera, Carolina Mallola
Summary: This paper presents the outcomes of a microcontextual geoarchaeological study conducted on earthen dwellings from the Early Iron Age village of Cerro de San Vicente. The study employed soil micromorphology, lipid biomarker analysis, XRD, and XRF analyses to investigate various aspects of the dwellings, including construction materials, site formation processes, and daily life practices. The results have shed light on the construction layers, floor use, maintenance, repaving, periods of abandonment and decay, and the presence of lipid biomarkers associated with dwelling functionality. The study significantly contributes to our understanding of ancient construction practices and the utilization of domestic spaces during the Early Iron Age.
JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE
(2024)