Mastodawn

Modern cotton’s family tree leads to one specific corner of the Yucatán coast. New genome data from 299 wild plants pins down where domestication began, and shows how much diversity got left behind. #cottongenomics #domestication #paleoethnobotany https://www.anthropology.net/p/a-40-year-search-for-cottons-birthplace

A 40-Year Search for Cotton’s Birthplace Ends in Northwestern Yucatán

Genome sequencing of nearly 300 wild plants confirms exactly where modern cotton came from, and how much diversity was left behind when it got there.

Anthropology.net

TKSST • seethis.tv 🌈🪐✨5d ago

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🐔🎨 A single MC1R gene acts as a molecular dimmer for feather color, and researchers found 18 variants that combine to create #chickens’ #rainbow of #plumage.

By reading the #genomes of over 10,000 #birds, they traced how these mutations accumulated since #domestication.

👉 https://phys.org/news/2026-06-chickens-gene-reveals-evolution.html

#genetics #evolution #pigmentation #biology #science #dna #leipzig #uppsala #berlin #agriculture #animals #ornithology

TKSST • seethis.tv 🌈🪐✨Jun 11

💁🏻‍♀️ TIL: 🦝🧬 A 2025 study found urban #raccoons have shorter snouts than rural ones – a possible #domestication syndrome signal.

But UC #Berkeley’s Lauren Stanton says #diet, not #genetics, might explain the change. Raccoons’ wild #intelligence is what makes them special, and trying to turn them into #pets would likely backfire.

👉 https://www.popsci.com/science/raccoon-pets/

#domestication #evolution #wildlife #science #biology #animals #dogs #cats #naturalselection #berkeley

Could raccoons become the new dogs?

They're undeniably cute, but they'd also be a pretty annoying pet.

Popular Science

Anthropology.net May 21

Pigeon bones from Bronze Age Cyprus show Columba livia sharing a diet with humans by 1400 BCE, pushing the direct evidence for domestication back nearly 1,000 years. New isotope analysis in Antiquity changes the timeline. #Zooarchaeology #BronzeAge #Domestication @Antiquity https://www.anthropology.net/p/pigeon-domestication-is-nearly-a

Pigeon Domestication Is Nearly a Thousand Years Older Than We Thought

New zooarchaeological and isotopic analysis from Late Bronze Age Cyprus pushes back the direct evidence by almost a millennium.

Anthropology.net

PugJesus May 19

THE COALITION

https://piefed.social/c/historymemes/p/2073442/the-coalition

Magnus Idode May 18

How dogs became domestic animals. 🐶🌍

Dogs are believed to have been domesticated from wolves thousands of years ago, when early humans and wild wolves formed a mutual relationship. 🧠

Wolves that were less aggressive began staying closer to human camps to feed on leftovers, while humans benefited from their protection and hunting skills. 🤝

Over time, this cooperation led to gradual evolution—taming behavior, emotional bonding, and eventually the loyal domestic dogs we know today .🐾✨

#Science #History #Dogs #Domestication #Animals #DidYouKnow

WikiTractatus May 8

#DOMESTICATION ___ Domestiquer revient à intégrer des êtres vivants au domus, à la demeure, à l'unité productive et existentielle dédiée aux besoins des résidents déclarés. À l'aide d'enclos, de laisses, de caresses et de mangeoires

Valérie Chansigaud s'émeut de la domestication: "les hommes dominent les animaux "les coupables hommes ...
https://wikitractatus.ourednik.info/domestication

domestication – Wikitractatus

Domestiquer revient à intégrer des êtres vivants au domus, à la demeure, à l'unité productive et existentielle dédiée aux besoins des résidents [...]

WikiTractatus

TKSST • seethis.tv 🌈🪐✨May 4

🐕🧠 A study of #canine remains shows that the earliest #dogs had #brains comparable in size to ancient #wolves.

Researchers found that the major reduction in #brain volume happened 5,000 years ago as human societies moved into permanent settlements. The evidence suggests that secondary environmental factors played a larger role in canine evolution than the early stages of living with humans.

👉 https://www.zmescience.com/feature-post/natural-sciences/animals/mammals/dire-wolf-feature-rep/

#dogs #biology #evolution #science #archeology #domestication #animals #history #brain #research #nature #paleontology

The Real Story of Dire Wolves Is Much More Fascinating Than What Fiction Tells You

They shared a common ancestor with grey wolves over 5 million years ago.

ZME Science

SPAAM-community Apr 27

This #MetagenomicsMonday, we’re highlighting two #aDNA studies published in Nature on our beloved human best friend — the #dog! 🐕🧬By ~14,000 years ago, #dogs were already part of human life across #Eurasia. aDNA shows they moved with different #hunter-gatherer groups, were exchanged between cultures, and later mixed with new lineages, shaping the dogs we know today.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10112-7
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10170-x
#SPAAM #domestication

Genomic history of early dogs in Europe - Nature

Genome-wide analysis shows European dogs existed by 14,200 years ago, were already genetically distinct, received less Neolithic Southwest Asian admixture than humans did and contributed substantially to later European dogs.

Nature

SPAAM-community Apr 20

On this week's #MetagenomicsMonday: #aDNA study 🧬traces the roots of French #wine! 🍇 Roman trade, clonal propagation, and even a medieval grape identical to modern #PinotNoir emerge from 4,000 years of #viticulture.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-70166-z
#SPAAM #archaeogenomics #archaeobotany #domestication #agriculture

Ancient DNA reveals 4000 years of grapevine diversity, viticulture and clonal propagation in France - Nature Communications

Here, the authors present aDNA from 49 grape pips spanning the Bronze Age to Medieval period in France and surrounding areas. They find evidence of long-distance exchange of domestic varieties through vegetative clones and one Medieval sample that is nearly identical to modern Pinot Noir.

Nature