Ancient DNA reveals shared history of sheep and humans
Kevin Daly
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Abstract
Summary of the research findings
Since about 11,000 years sheep have served humans as livestock. A study reconstructed the ancestry history of sheep from DNA obtained from bones up to 12,000 years old. The authors (led by Kevin Daly, Trinity College Dublin) reconstructed 118 ancient sheep genomes from across Eurasia (from Mongolia to Ireland). These genomes show that sheep ancestry mirrors human migration patterns (for example, Bronze Age herders from the Eurasian steppe brought their flocks into Central Europe ~5,000 years ago). The genomic data also provide evidence that humans began selective breeding of sheep already by ~8,000 years ago, affecting traits such as coat color, horn development, and growth rate; in particular, alleles associated with white coat color show strong signatures of positive selection. The study reconciles morphological and genomic evidence for the geographic origins of domestic sheep but points to the need for further interdisciplinary work to resolve the spread and selection histories of modern landraces in Eurasia and Africa.
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