Ancient genomics and the origin, dispersal, and development of domestic sheep

Daly K. G., Mullin V. E., Hare A. J., Halpin Á., Mattiangeli V., Teasdale M. D., ...More

Science (New York, N.Y.), vol.387, no.6733, pp.492-497, 2025 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 387 Issue: 6733
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1126/science.adn2094
  • Journal Name: Science (New York, N.Y.)
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, Aerospace Database, Agricultural & Environmental Science Database, Animal Behavior Abstracts, Applied Science & Technology Source, Aquatic Science & Fisheries Abstracts (ASFA), Artic & Antarctic Regions, ATLA Religion Database, BIOSIS, CAB Abstracts, Chemical Abstracts Core, Communication Abstracts, Computer & Applied Sciences, EBSCO Education Source, Environment Index, Gender Studies Database, Geobase, Linguistic Bibliography, MEDLINE, Metadex, MLA - Modern Language Association Database, Pollution Abstracts, Psycinfo, Veterinary Science Database, zbMATH, DIALNET, Civil Engineering Abstracts, Nature Index
  • Page Numbers: pp.492-497
  • Istanbul University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The origins and prehistory of domestic sheep (Ovis aries) are incompletely understood; to address this, we generated data from 118 ancient genomes spanning 12,000 years sampled from across Eurasia. Genomes from Central Türkiye ~8000 BCE are genetically proximal to the domestic origins of sheep but do not fully explain the ancestry of later populations, suggesting a mosaic of wild ancestries. Genomic signatures indicate selection by ancient herders for pigmentation patterns, hornedness, and growth rate. Although the first European sheep flocks derive from Türkiye, in a notable parallel with ancient human genome discoveries, we detected a major influx of Western steppe-related ancestry in the Bronze Age.