Men and Dogs May Have Been Best Friends for 140,000 Years

Dogs really are man’s best friend, according to a new book that says canines and humans formed a common bond more than 140,000 years ago. DNA evidence shows that dogs evolved from their wolf ancestors at just about the same time that early humans first left Africa.

In a new book, “Evolving Brains,” biologist John Allman of Caltech says this new finding, plus other evidence, strongly suggests that humans and dogs teamed up in one of the most successful partnerships ever. “Recently Robert Wayne at UCLA has shown through mitochondrial DNA that dogs are basically domesticated wolves, and that their domestication occurred much earlier than previously thought--as much as 135,000 years ago,” Allman said.

“Other evidence also shows that Homo sapiens first left Africa about 140,000 years ago,” Allman added. “And since there were no wolves in Africa and no modern humans in Eurasia before this time, I conjecture that the two species got together soon afterward and became remarkably successful hunting partners.”

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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II