 Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dogs may have become man's best friend in Central Asia, according to the study 
 
 Today's dogs can trace their origins to Central Asia, according to one of the most comprehensive genetic surveys yet. They hitched themselves to us, which was a pretty good gamble as it turned out Dr Adam Boyko, Cornell University 
 
 This latter group are the least studied, yet represent a crucial piece in the picture of modern dog diversity. “We find a clear pattern of genetic diversity focused on central Asia, suggesting the first domesticated dogs came from this region.” 
 
 That departs from earlier studies that pinpointed Europe as where dogs were domesticated, although more recent work puts the location in southern China, just 1000 kilometres from the area Boyko’s team proposes. Advertisement 
 
 The team broke new ground by analysing DNA samples from so-called “village dogs”, which have lived alongside humans throughout the world since dogs first evolved from wolves and were domesticated around 15,000 years ago. “Although they associate with humans, village dogs are more or less expected to make it on their own,” says Boyko. Boyko’s team analyzed 185,800 genetic markers in 5,392 dogs, including 549 village dogs from 38 countries, making their study the largest ever of worldwide canine genetic diversity. Cornell University's Dr Adam Boyko and his colleagues studied 4,676 purebred dogs from recognised breeds, as well as 549 "village dogs" - free-ranging animals that live around human settlements. “So I would say the consensus pointing to south and east rather than central Asia is quite clear.” 
 
 Savolainen compliments the thoroughness of the study, but says that what is lacking is DNA from southern China, where he thinks dogs originated. “We are excited to be working with Boyko’s group and others,” he says.
– Your best pal may have come a long way to curl up at your feet: A new DNA study of more than 5,000 dogs from 38 countries finds they probably originated in Central Asia, or Mongolia and Nepal more specifically, at least 15,000 years ago, reports the BBC. Cornell researchers drew blood from 4,676 purebred dogs—making up 161 breeds typically created in the last 200 years—and 549 street dogs with older lineages to study chromosomes inherited from the male and female line, reports New Scientist. The data showed genetic diversity is highest in Central Asia, then in surrounding areas like Afghanistan, Egypt, India, and Vietnam, reports Popular Science. That suggests the most recent common ancestor of "all the dogs alive today" came from that region, says lead author Adam Boyko. "It mirrors what we see in humans and how they spread out of East Africa." It's possible some dogs were domesticated elsewhere but diversified in Central Asia. But "we found no evidence" of multiple domestication events, Boyko says. "It looks like there's a single origin," though there appears to have been "a little bit of gene flow between wolves and dogs post-domestication." Boyko's team suspects higher human population density, better hunting techniques, and climate change pushed gray wolves toward scavenging, which led to domestication. But as similar studies suggest dogs originated in the Middle East, East Asia, and Europe, some scientists are treating the results with caution. One tells the New York Times that only a study of ancient and modern DNA could provide definitive results. Among difficulties researchers faced: "We showed up in Puerto Rico at a fishing village and the dogs turned up their noses at roast beef sandwiches," says Boyko. "They were used to eating fish entrails." (Genetically, house cats are basically wild animals.)