February 1, 2012

Horse Evolution Traced to Single Ancestor 140K Yrs Ago

PhysOrg.com, PhysOrg.com


AP Photo

For many years archeologists and other scientists have debated the origins of the domesticated horse. Nailing down a time frame is important because many historians view the relationship between man and horse as one of the most important in the development of our species. Horses allowed early people to hunt for faster prey, to wander farther than before and to create much bigger farms due to pulling plows. Now, new evidence has come to light suggesting that all modern horses, which are believed to have been domesticated approximately 10,000 years ago, descended from one mare around 140,000 years ago.

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TAGGED: evolution, horses, mitochondrial DNA

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