Domestication of donkeys

Domestication of donkeys

by Maja Šešelj -
Number of replies: 0

Since we are talking about domestication, here's a recent article about the domestication of donkeys! This doesn't get nearly as much attention as the domestication of cats and dogs, but donkeys have played important roles across many millenia and different cultures. Plus, it is a fascinating story from an evolutionary perspective: a single origin in East Africa, followed by a rapid spread across Africa and Eurasia, with regional specialization emerging as a result of local selective pressure and limited gene flow.

This review also contains links to recent articles on dDNA and its role in reconstructing the domestication of dogs, cats, maize (Prof. Barrier's favorite plant domesticate!), goats, and yes, even microbes (you read that correctly... domesticated microbes!) Enjoy!

https://www.science.org/content/article/single-domestication-donkeys-helped-build-empires-around-world