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.

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.

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 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.