“By travelling back in time, you can see the impact of such breeding practices on the modern world,” co-author Ludovic Orlando, research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and head of the Anthropobiology and Genomics Center of Toulouse
The research could help in horse breeding. Representational pic/iStock
Roughly 4500 years ago, humans forged a bond that would shape the history of our species. The domestication of horses led to significant advancements in transportation, hunting, and warfare, literally carrying human society into the modern era.
Despite how influential horses have been for humans, scientists still have questions about their domestication. New research published on August 28, in the journal ‘Science’, offers insight into the genetic shifts that helped them become tame and rideable. The findings not only elucidate the history of a critical human-animal bond but could also help guide horse breeding and conservation efforts today.
“By travelling back in time, you can see the impact of such breeding practices on the modern world,” co-author Ludovic Orlando, research director at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and head of the Anthropobiology and Genomics Centre of Toulouse.
Orlando’s lab has spent the past 15 years sequencing ancient horse genomes dating back almost a million years ago and up to the 19th century. For this study, he and his colleagues analysed hundreds of genomes from the 6,000-year domestication period. They identified 266 genetic markers linked to key traits such as behaviour, coat colour, body shape, locomotion, athleticism, and disease susceptibility to see how selective breeding influenced them over time.
The researchers found that about 5000 years ago, during the early stages of horse domestication, selective breeding favoured a genetic region. This gene is a known behaviour modulator in mice, suggesting that taming was one of the earliest steps toward the domestication of horses.
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