The Genomic Natural History of the Aurochs
Open accessAbstract
Now extinct, the aurochs (Bos primigenius) was a keystone species in prehistoric Eurasian and North African ecosystems, and the progenitor of cattle (Bos taurus), domesticates that have provided people with food and labour for millennia 1. Here we analysed 38 ancient genomes and found 4 distinct population ancestries in the aurochs-European, Southwest Asian, North Asian and South Asian-each of which has dynamic trajectories that have responded to changes in climate and human influence. Similarly to Homo heidelbergensis, aurochsen first entered Europe around 650 thousand years ago 2, but early populations left only trace ancestry, with both North Asian and European B. primigenius genomes coalescing during the most recent glaciation. North Asian and European populations then appear separated until mixing after the climate amelioration of the early Holocene. European aurochsen endured the more severe bottleneck during the Last Glacial Maximum, retreating to southern refugia before recolonizing from Iberia. Domestication involved the capture of a small number of individuals from the Southwest Asian aurochs population, followed by early and pervasive male-mediated admixture involving each ancestral strain of aurochs after domestic stocks dispersed beyond their cradle of origin.
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Italy and the Fertile Crescent harbor the T haplogroup dominant in modern domestic cattle, while central and northern European aurochs gave rise to the P haplogroup, which expanded from the Iberian Peninsula following the Last Ice Age.
“Italy and the Fertile Crescent harbor the T haplogroup, dominant in modern domestic cattle, while central and northern European aurochs gave rise to the P haplogroup, which expanded from the Iberian Peninsula following the Last Ice Age [12,13].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
In “Divergent demography in the aurochs” (Fig. 3 caption; page unavailable), the paper identifies T as a major domestic haplogroup, places domesticated haplogroups in the Fertile Crescent, and says P predominated among sampled Holocene European aurochs. It also links central and northern European genomes to an Iberian source of postglacial recolonization, but does not establish that Italy harbored T or that the P haplogroup specifically arose in central and northern Europe and expanded from Iberia. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAurochs have been classified into four distinct ancestries by both autosomal and mtDNA variation: European, South Asian, Southwest Asian or North African, and North Asian populations.
“Aurochs have been classified into four distinct ancestries by both autosomal and mtDNA variation: European, South Asian, Southwest Asian or North African, and North Asian populations [12].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
Domesticated populations dispersed beyond their area of origin, with the ancestral strain of aurochs undergoing male-mediated genetic admixture.
“Subsequently, domesticated populations dispersed beyond their area of origin, with the ancestral strain of aurochs undergoing male-mediated genetic admixture [12].”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
During the Last Glacial Maximum, European aurochs contracted into southern Europe, specifically the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas.
“During the Last Glacial Maximum, European aurochs contracted into southern Europe, specifically the Iberian, Italian, and Balkan peninsulas.”
From The Genomic Landscape of Cattle: Domestication, Dispersal, and Adaptive Evolution (2026) · cites this paper as [12]
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References 84 · Cited by 32
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- Clutton-Brock, T. Mammal Societies (Wiley, 2016).
- Authors
- Rossi, C., Sinding, M.-H. S., Mullin, V. E., Scheu, A., Erven, J. A. M., Verdugo, M. P., Daly, K. G., Ciucani, M. M., Mattiangeli, V., Teasdale, M. D., Diquelou, D., Manin, A., Bangsgaard, P., Collins, M., Lord, T. C., Zeibert, V., Zorzin, R., Vinter, M., Timmons, Z., Kitchener, A. C., Street, M., Haruda, A. F., Tabbada, K., Larson, G., Frantz, L. A. F., Gehlen, B., Alhaique, F., Tagliacozzo, A., Fornasiero, M., Pandolfi, L., Karastoyanova, N., Sørensen, L., Kiryushin, K., Ekström, J., Mostadius, M., Grandal-d’Anglade, A., Vidal-Gorosquieta, A., Benecke, N., Kropp, C., Grushin, S. P., Gilbert, M. T. P., Merts, I., Merts, V., Outram, A. K., Rosengren, E., Kosintsev, P., Sablin, M., Tishkin, A. A., Makarewicz, C. A., Burger, J., & Bradley, D. G.
- Affiliations
- Trinity College Dublin (IE)
- University of Copenhagen (DK)
- Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE)
- University of Groningen (NL)
- University College Dublin (IE)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KZ)
- National Museums Scotland (GB)
- LEIZA - Leibniz-Zentrum für Archäologie (DE)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- University of Cologne (DE)
- University of Padua (IT)
- University of Pisa (IT)
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (BG)
- National Museum of Denmark (DK)
- Altai State University (RU)
- Biological Museum, Lund University (SE)
- Universidade da Coruña (ES)
- Deutsches Archäologisches Institut, Zentrale (DE)
- UNESCO (FR)
- Toraighyrov University (KZ)
- University of Exeter (GB)
- Lund University (SE)
- Ural Federal University (RU)
- Zoological Institute (RU)
- Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S.
- Bradley, Daniel G.
- ORCID
- Rossi, Conor
- Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S.
- Mullin, Victoria E.
- Scheu, Amelie
- Erven, Jolijn A. M.
- Verdugo, Marta Pereira
- Daly, Kevin G.
- Ciucani, Marta Maria
- Mattiangeli, Valeria
- Teasdale, Matthew D.
- Diquelou, Deborah
- Manin, Aurélie
- Bangsgaard, Pernille
- Collins, Matthew
- Lord, Tom C.
- Zorzin, Roberto
- Kitchener, Andrew C.
- Street, Martin
- Haruda, Ashleigh F.
- Tabbada, Kristina
- Larson, Greger
- Frantz, Laurent A. F.
- Gehlen, Birgit
- Alhaique, Francesca
- Tagliacozzo, Antonio
- Pandolfi, Luca
- Karastoyanova, Nadezhda
- Sørensen, Lasse
- Kiryushin, Kirill
- Mostadius, Maria
- Grandal-d’Anglade, Aurora
- Benecke, Norbert
- Gilbert, M. Thomas P.
- Merts, Ilja
- Outram, Alan K.
- Rosengren, Erika
- Kosintsev, Pavel
- Sablin, Mikhail
- Tishkin, Alexey A.
- Makarewicz, Cheryl A.
- Bradley, Daniel G.
- Venue
- Nature
- Published
- 2024-10-30
- Volume
- 635
- Issue
- 8037
- Pages
- 136-141
- ISSN
- 0028-0836 (ISSN-L)
- 1476-4687
- OpenAlex
- W4403922054
- Cited by
- 32
- References
- 84
- Citations by year
- 2026: 16 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 2
- FWCI
- 8.44
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Electronic Archive of Ural Federal University (ELAR UrFU) (acceptedVersion, other-oa)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- CINECA IRIS Institutial research information system (University of Pisa) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- Research at the University of Copenhagen (University of Copenhagen) (submittedVersion)
- Ministry of Culture Research Portal (submittedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- European Commission (HORIZON2020, 885729)
- Science Foundation Ireland (21/PATH-S/9515)
- Ural Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences
- Russian Science Foundation (22-18-00470)
- Xunta de Galicia
- Russian Academy of Sciences (122031100282-2)
- H2020 European Research Council (772957)
- FP7 Ideas: European Research Council (295729)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Forensic and Genetic Research
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic diversity and population structure
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Keywords
- aurochs, Bos primigenius, cattle, cattle domestication, ancient genomes, population ancestry, population structure, Last Glacial Maximum, refugia, domestication bottleneck, climate change
- MeSH terms
- Domestication, Animals, Asia, Cattle, Europe, Female, Genetics, Population, Male, Phylogeny, Genome, Natural History, Genomics, Ice Cover, History, Ancient, Extinction, Biological
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