Comparative population genomics of Arctic sled dogs reveals a deep and complex history

Significance
The early evolution and genetic health of dogs has spurred significant interest with the public as well as the broader scientific community. In this research, we focus on the Siberian Husky as a model from the northeast Eurasian Arctic ancestral lineage of dogs and perform one of the largest genomic surveys of any modern breed. We reconstructed the evolutionary history of this lineage and found contemporary American and Eurasian Arctic sled dogs to be more distantly related than previously thought, pushing back the origin of sled dogs to the end of the Pleistocene. Recent West Eurasian admixture, small population size, and inbreeding introduce a challenge to the conservation of these ancient lineages.