Ancient dog DNA suggests 16,000-year history as man's best friend

Researchers have sequenced DNA from a dog skull fragment discovered in modern-day Turkey, providing the earliest genetic evidence that dogs have lived alongside humans for approximately 16,000 years. The specimen, announced Wednesday, pushes back the known timeline of dog domestication and offers new insight into one of humanity's oldest interspecies relationships. This discovery suggests that dogs were integrated into human society far earlier than previously documented through archaeological records alone. The findings could help researchers better understand the domestication process itself and how early human populations benefited from canine companionship during the prehistoric era.