A new study provides the strongest genetic evidence yet that dogs were established as a distinct species during the Ice Age, with deep historical roots in human societies. Research from Stockholm University analyzed DNA from dogs found at sites like Gough's Cave in the UK and Pınarbaşı in Turkey. The findings show that approximately 15,800 years ago, dogs lived alongside humans across large parts of Western Eurasia, including Europe, the Middle East, and the Caucasus.
This indicates that the human-dog relationship dates back much earlier than previously demonstrated.