The genetic mystery behind dog DNA

Scientists generally believe that modern canines descended from ancient wolves, but the thousands of years of evolution are still a "big blurred mess"

An Akita puppy
(Image credit: DLILLC/Corbis)

Dogs may be man's best friend, but science understands very little about their origin. The central question of where domesticated dogs came from "might not be as important as the origin of the universe," says James Gorman at the New York Times, but it "almost seems harder to answer." And a new study has only left evolutionary experts with even more questions. Here, a brief look at the great canine mystery:

What do we know?

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