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the spine of a dog with spondylosis deformans, seen most prominently in the scoop-shaped structure jutting out from the middle vertebra.Katherine LathamThis diseased spine may hold clues to early dog-human relationshipBy David GrimmJun. 14, 2019 , 8:00 AMScientists are still debating when and where dogs were domesticated, but there’s one thing most of them agree on: Early canines were working animals. Dogs evolved from gray wolves earlier than 15,000 years ago—before humans settled down in permanent villages—and they likely helped us hunt small game like deer and rabbits and pulled sleds or other transport equipment across vast plains. To buttress the idea that early dogs helped us carry supplies, archaeologists have often pointed to an aberration in the spines of many ancient canines: an overgrowth of bone known as spondylosis deformans, which researchers thought was caused by hauling heavy loads.But a new paper debunks that idea. Reporting in PLOS ONE, Katherine Latham, a graduate student at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, finds that heavy lifting cannot be definitively linked to spondylosis deformans in dogs. The condition, however, may tell us something equally fascinating about our ancestors’ bond with canines. Latham discussed her new work with Science.This interview has been edited for clarity and length.Q: What does this spine condition look like?...https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2019/06/diseased-spine-may-hold-clues-early-dog-human-relationship
