Science: Donkeys, which were domesticated in East Africa about 7,000 years ago

For thousands of years, domestic donkeys (Equus asinus) have been very important to humans because they are good partners

European researchers recently reported in the journal Science that through genetic analysis of more than 200 donkeys around the world, they believe that the animal was domesticated

"The history of donkeys has haunted scientists for years," said

DNA has great potential

However, the history of the domestication of donkeys remains unclear

A 5,000-year-old Egyptian stele depicts a herd of donkeys, sheep and cattle on the

According to Orlando, this may be due to the lack of donkey DNA

After comparing these genomes with those of wild donkeys, the researchers found that all of the donkey's lineages date back to 5,000 BC in East Africa, about the location

The specific reasons why people chose to tame wild donkeys in Africa thousands of years ago remain unclear

"Donkeys are champions when it comes to carrying things and are good at crossing the desert," Orlando says

In Africa outside of Egypt, there are few archaeological records of donkeys

At the same time, as global drought intensifies and more land faces desertification, tapping into the genetic diversity of donkeys and understanding why they can support human work in a variety of environmental conditions may make donkeys a focus

"Today, donkeys still provide a lot of support to people living in low- and middle-income countries," Orlando said

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The genomic history and global expansion of domestic donkeys

SCIENCE 8 Sep 2022 Vol 377, Issue 6611 pp.