The discovery of a canine jawbone in a cave in southern England suggests that dogs were domesticated 5,000 years earlier than previously thought.
The bone dates from around 15,000 years ago; older dog-like bones do exist, some as old as 33,000 years, but scientists dispute whether they are true dogs or simply dog-like wolves. Genetic examination showed the latest find was unambiguously a dog, domesticated and living off human food; until now, fossils of true dogs were not known until 10,000 years ago.
The DNA testing also allowed researchers to demonstrate that other, ambiguous specimens were related to this one, and part of an early population of dogs spread across Europe and Asia.