Scientists have traced the origin of the modern horse to a lineage that emerged around 4,200 years ago. This lineage, which featured a genetic mutation making the horses easier to ride, quickly became dominant across Eurasia. The domestication of horses likely began on the steppes of Asia, specifically in the Pontic-Caspian region, where ancient breeders dramatically shortened the natural generation times of horses, leading to a massive expansion of these bloodlines. The findings, based on an analysis of 475 ancient horse genomes, challenge previous hypotheses of earlier domestication times. This breeding revolution facilitated the spread of domesticated horses, which played a crucial role in human history and culture, particularly in widespread horse-based mobility around 2,200 BCE.
An international research team sequenced the #Genomes of hundreds of #Horse archaeological remains to track the historical rise of horse-based mobility around 4200 years ago in the Pontic-Caspian steppes. @CNRS https://t.co/COj8s0bCrL
Widespread horse-based mobility arose around 2,200 BCE in Eurasia https://t.co/ypIBuWuTCp
Horses may have been domesticated twice, once for meat and milk and once for mobility. https://t.co/k6gxFzEE41
The domestication of the modern horse probably did not occur before 2,700 BCE, according to an analysis of 475 ancient horse genomes published in @Nature. The finding challenges previous hypotheses of earlier domestication times. https://t.co/7harzzC2vD https://t.co/gXjpZsYXC3
Genome study shows how horses galloped into human history https://t.co/pqT40qe1Tl https://t.co/DyuM2IMkr6
It’s hard to pinpoint when the bond between humans and horses began: People tried to domesticate the animals at least twice. But the attempt that stuck—giving us today’s domestic horses—likely succeeded because of horseback riding. https://t.co/HrQQMk2rXv
Scientists have traced the ancestry of the modern horse to a lineage that emerged 4,200 years ago, featuring a genetic mutation that made them easier to ride, and quickly became dominant across Eurasia, indicating rapid domestication and spread by humans. https://t.co/ny3GXV3Ypz
Horses were domesticated on the steppes of Asia more than 4,000 years ago, new genetic evidence suggests. The animals are still important parts of culture today. Here, a rider herds horses in China’s Inner Mongolia region. https://t.co/k6gxFzFbTz
Origins of modern horses traced to breeding revolution 4200 years ago https://t.co/Jd1Nx1cRa7
Around 4,200 years ago, one particular lineage of horse quickly became dominant across Eurasia, suggesting that’s when humans started to spread domesticated horses around the world https://t.co/GTGrEroTmO
Ancient breeders dramatically shortened the natural generation times of horses starting about 4200 years ago, which led to a massive expansion of those bloodlines across Eurasia within a few centuries. https://t.co/S6iGDtJgKN
Scientists have traced the origin of the modern horse to a lineage that emerged 4,200 years ago https://t.co/rzNUJTI8DE
The rise of horse power ~4,200 years ago https://t.co/mY2efhFfdN
The rise of horse power ~4,200 years ago @nature https://t.co/w8XyCCnnz7
High-Coverage Mesolithic Aurochs Genome and Effective Leveraging of Ancient Cattle Genomes Using Whole Genome Imputation https://t.co/Hnj8awDb0S