Ancient Mongolian aurochs genomes reveal sustained introgression and management in East Asia.

Societies in East Asia have utilized domesticated cattle for over 5000 years, but the genetic history of cattle in East Asia remains understudied. Genome-wide analyses of 23 ancient Mongolian cattle reveal that East Asian aurochs and ancient East Asian taurine cattle are closely related, but neither are closely related to any modern East Asian breeds. We observe binary variation in aurochs diet throughout the early Neolithic, and genomic evidence shows millennia of sustained male-dominated introgression. We identify a unique connection between ancient Mongolian aurochs and the European Hereford breed. These results point to the likelihood of human management of aurochs in Northeast Asia prior to and during the initial adoption of taurine cattle pastoralism.

The Promise of Paleogenomics Beyond Our Own Species.

Paleogenomics, also known as genome-wide ancient DNA analysis, is transforming our understanding of the human past, but has been much less intensively used to understand the history of other species. However, paleogenomic studies of non-human animals and plants have the potential to address an equally rich range of evolutionary, paleoecological, paleoenvironmental, and archaeological research questions. Three recent case studies of cave bears, horses, and maize provide examples of the ways that paleogenomics can be used to examine potential causes of extinctions and dynamic processes of domestication. Much more research in these areas is needed, and we conclude by highlighting key future directions.

Comparison of six commercial antigen kits for detection of Dirofilaria immitis infections in canines with necropsy-confirmed heartworm status.

Patient-side test kits for detecting antigenemia in dogs associated with sexually mature female heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) have been available for three decades, and these tests are continually updated and improved. To define the sensitivity (Se) and specificity (Sp) of contemporary antigen detection tests against cardiopulmonary D. immitis burden, we evaluated five patient-side kits-Anigen Rapid One Step® (Bio note), SNAP® 4Dx Plus Test Kit (IDEXX), WITNESS® Heartworm Canine Heartworm Antigen Test Kit (Zoetis), VetScan® Canine Heartworm Rapid Test (Abaxis), and Solo Step® CH Canine Heartworm Antigen Test (Heska), and one microplate ELISA (DiroCHEK®; Zoetis), using archived canine sera divided into five subclasses of female worms (0, 1-5, 6-20, 21-40, and >40). The patient-side tests were performed once, side-by-side according to each manufacturer's protocol by personnel blinded to the D. immitis status of each dog. The overall Se and Sp of the patient-side kits was ≥97.5 and =94.0%, respectively. For samples from dogs with 1-5, 6-20, and 21-40 D. immitis, the Se was between 96 and 100%, with a slight increase in Se in dogs with ≥41 worms. The agreement between tests for all subclasses of D. immitis burden was between 99 and 100%. The Se and Sp for the ELISA compared with the necropsy results of dogs was 99 and 96%, respectively. Agreement between each patient-side test and the ELISA was between 97 and 100%. All commercially available tests can give practitioners excellent patient-side information, allowing them to make informed decisions on the need for additional diagnostic work-up before instituting new or continuing D. immitis prophylaxis.

The Sumatran rhinoceros was extirpated from mainland East Asia by hunting and habitat loss.

The sequencing and analysis of the Sumatran rhinoceros genome provides vital data for understanding the history of the subspecies in Sumatra [1], but not for reconstructing the history of the population on the mainland after the two were separated by rising seas in the early Holocene. Evidence from zooarchaeology, texts and artifacts makes clear that the Holocene range of the Sumatran rhinoceros extended all the way from the tropics to the temperate Yellow River Valley of North China (35° North), and that humans have extirpated the species from most of its range. While the name 'Sumatran' suggests that these are tropical animals, in fact they are the only extant hairy rhinoceros, which presumably protected them from cold, and are the most closely related of all living rhinoceroses to the extinct cold-adapted woolly rhinoceros [2].

Human paleodiet and animal utilization strategies during the Bronze Age in northwest Yunnan Province, southwest China.

Reconstructing ancient diets and the use of animals and plants augment our understanding of how humans adapted to different environments. Yunnan Province in southwest China is ecologically and environmentally diverse. During the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, this region was occupied by a variety of local culture groups with diverse subsistence systems and material culture. In this paper, we obtained carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopic ratios from human and faunal remains in order to reconstruct human paleodiets and strategies for animal exploitation at the Bronze Age site of Shilinggang (ca. 2500 Cal BP) in northwest Yunnan Province. The δ13C results for human samples from Shilinggang demonstrate that people's diets were mainly dominated by C3-based foodstuffs, probably due to both direct consumption of C3 food and as a result of C3 foddering of consumed animals. Auxiliary C4 food signals can also be detected. High δ15N values indicate that meat was an important component of the diet. Analysis of faunal samples indicates that people primarily fed pigs and dogs with human food waste, while sheep/goats and cattle were foddered with other food sources. We compare stable isotope and archaeobotanical data from Shilinggang with data from other Bronze Age sites in Yunnan to explore potential regional variation in subsistence strategies. Our work suggests that people adopted different animal utilization and subsistence strategies in different parts of Yunnan during the Bronze Age period, probably as local adaptations to the highly diversified and isolated environments in the region.