Publications by authors named "Remi Berthon"
Article Synopsis
- The horse family (equids) has a rich fossil record showing significant evolutionary changes over the last 55 million years, with a wealth of ancient genomes sequenced to understand their domestication history.
- This study generated genome-wide data from 25 ancient equid specimens spanning 44,000 years in regions like Anatolia and Mongolia, revealing the presence of extinct species and new insights into their survival.
- The research also identified genetic differences among Asian wild asses and a common genetic signature in wild asses across continents, raising questions about the role of specific genetic changes in the extinction of certain equid species.
Present-day domestic cattle are reproductively active throughout the year, which is a major asset for dairy production. Large wild ungulates, in contrast, are seasonal breeders, as were the last historic representatives of the aurochs, the wild ancestors of cattle. Aseasonal reproduction in cattle is a consequence of domestication and herding, but exactly when this capacity developed in domestic cattle is still unknown and the extent to which early farming communities controlled the seasonality of reproduction is debated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe house mouse (Mus musculus) represents the extreme of globalization of invasive mammals. However, the timing and basis of its origin and early phases of dispersal remain poorly documented. To track its synanthropisation and subsequent invasive spread during the develoment of complex human societies, we analyzed 829 Mus specimens from 43 archaeological contexts in Southwestern Asia and Southeastern Europe, between 40,000 and 3,000 cal.
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