Ancient cattle genomics, origins, and rapid turnover in the Fertile Crescent
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Authors
Verdugo, Marta PereiraMullin, Victoria E.
Scheu, Amelie
Mattiangeli, Valeria
Daly, Kevin G.

Delser, Pierpaolo Maisano

Hare, Andrew J.
Burger, Joachim
Collins, Matthew J.
Kehati, Ron
Hesse, Paula
Fulton, Deirdre
Sauer, Eberhard W.
Mohaseb, Fatemeh A.
Davoudi, Hossein
Khazaeli, Roya
Lhuillier, Johanna
Rapin, Claude
Ebrahimi, Saeed
Khasanov, Mutalib
Vahidi, S. M. Farhad
MacHugh, David E.

Ertugrul, Okan
Koukouli-Chrysanthaki, Chaido
Sampson, Adamantios
Kazantzis, George
Kontopoulos, Ioannis

Bulatović, Jelena

Dimitrijević, Ivana

Mikdad, Abdesalam
Benecke, Norbert
Linstaedter, Joerg
Sablin, Mikhail

Bendrey, Robin
Gourichon, Lionel

Arbuckle, Benjamin S.
Mashkour, Marjan

Orton, David
Horwitz, Liora Kolska
Teasdale, Matthew D.

Bradley, Daniel G.

Article (Published version)

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Show full item recordAbstract
Genome-wide analysis of 67 ancient Near Eastern cattle, Bos taurus, remains reveals regional variation that has since been obscured by admixture in modern populations. Comparisons of genomes of early domestic cattle to their aurochs progenitors identify diverse origins with separate introgressions of wild stock. A later region-wide Bronze Age shift indicates rapid and widespread introgression of zebu, Bos indicus, from the Indus Valley. This process was likely stimulated at the onset of the current geological age, similar to 4.2 thousand years ago, by a widespread multicentury drought. In contrast to genome-wide admixture, mitochondrial DNA stasis supports that this introgression was male-driven, suggesting that selection of arid-adapted zebu bulls enhanced herd survival. This human-mediated migration of zebu-derived genetics has continued through millennia, altering tropical herding on each continent.
Source:
Science, 2019, 365, 6449, 173-+Publisher:
- Amer Assoc Advancement Science, Washington
Funding / projects:
- ERC Investigator grant [295729-CodeX]
- Science Foundation IrelandScience Foundation IrelandEuropean Commission [12/ERC/B2227]
- SFI/HEA Irish Centre for High-End Computing (ICHEC)Science Foundation Ireland
- Marie Sklodowska-Curie Individual Fellowship H2020-MSCA-IF-2016 [747424]
- NERCUK Research & Innovation (UKRI)Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) [NE/P012574/1]
- HERA Joint Research Programme "Uses of the Past" (CitiGen)
- European UnionEuropean Commission [649307]
- Trinseq
- [DNRF128]
DOI: 10.1126/science.aav1002
ISSN: 0036-8075
PubMed: 31296769