Genetic Study Tracks Domesticated Sheep

DUBLIN, IRELAND—Cosmos Magazine reports that analysis of DNA samples taken from 118 sheep bones unearthed at archaeological sites in Europe and Asia indicates that early European herders bred sheep for white coat color as early as 8,000 years ago. The study also suggests that sheep from the region of Mesopotamia traveled west some 7,000 years ago. Sheep from the Eurasian steppes also moved into Europe some 5,000 years ago, explained Kevin Daly of University College Dublin. “This parallels what we know about human migrations during the same period, suggesting that when people moved, they brought their flocks with them,” he said. Daly and his colleagues think that these human migrations may have been fueled by the consumption of sheep products such as milk and cheese. To read about a DNA study of a 1,600-year-old sheep's leg that was preserved in an Iranian salt mine, go to "Salty Snack."