Siberian Fossil Reveals Origin of the First Modern Dog

Dog domestication predates the beginning of agriculture by 10,000 years. It is estimated that dogs separated from the wolf pack 100,000 years ago, but evidence only exists from 36,000 years ago. Now, a 33,000 year-old Siberian fossil reveals that the Altai dog was closer to the first modern dog than the wolf. And, unlike studies that indicated the Middle East and Asia were the first to have modern dogs, the Altai dog originated from the Americas.
Photo via Fotolia © Thomas Barrat