Mikkel Holger Strander Sinding

Project title

EvolvADog: analysing deconvoluted ancestry to clarify dog domestication and nature of ghost admixture in wolves and dogs

What is your project about?

EvolvADog seeks to uncover the origins of the domestic dog and map hybridisation events between dogs, wolves, and other wild canids across time and space. By analysing over 1000 genomes, the project identifies local inheritance patterns and ancestral genetic components. Tracking the genetic traces of the shared wild wolf ancestor of all dogs may allow us to pinpoint where dogs first emerged. The project develops and applies cutting-edge methods to determine when and where different wolf groups contributed to the dog genome and to reveal potential ghost admixture from extinct or unknown lineages. This approach has never before been applied to animals and represents a pioneering advance in evolutionary biology.

How did you become interested in your particular field of research?

I was born a biologist. I’ve always been fascinated by science, and my interest in genetics began in primary school. At university, I deliberately pursued a focus on genetics and ancient DNA, and I’ve followed that path ever since. I have a broad biological curiosity about many species, but this project’s focus on wolves and dogs is unique because of the dog’s long-standing closeness to humans. As a result, exceptional genetic resources are available for dogs. Wolves and dogs thus form an ideal system to study in this project.

What are the scientific challenges and perspectives in your project?

The ultimate challenge lies in the deep-time nature of dog origins and the complex hybridisation between dogs, wolves, and other wild canids, events now obscured in modern genomes. Yet the traces of these processes remain. The project’s arsenal of methods will extract these hidden evolutionary stories. This brings two major perspectives, firstly, a reconstruction of dog and wolf evolutionary history. Secondly, a novel blueprint for decoding complex evolution. This opens the door for thousands of future studies across species.

What is your estimate of the impact, which your project may have to society in the long term?

The project’s pioneering methods will expand the scope and power of evolutionary research. As genomic datasets for countless species grow, this approach offers a roadmap for exploring them more deeply. Beyond that, the project addresses a legendary question, where did the dog come from? The dog was the first domesticated animal and the beginning of domestication itself. That changed the course of human history, comparable to the harnessing of fire or electricity. Pinpointing the origin of domestication will be a landmark achievement in science.

Which impact do you expect the Sapere Aude programme will have on your career as a researcher?

It’s impossible to overstate how crucial this is. Leading my own group and pursuing my own ideas independently is a dream come true and a major career boost. The timing is perfect, with new methods now breaking previous boundaries in genetics. This project is the next step up the academic ladder for me. But most importantly, it allows me to pioneer and lead in a global field. That’s a personal win, but it’s also bigger than me. It’s an investment in understanding life and its history. The whole world will gain knowledge from this.

Background and personal life

I am deeply interested in nature and fascinated by evolution and the history of life. I have discovered how genetics is the key to being able to read an organism's evolutionary history. And it is magical to be able to discover those stories. My interest in nature means that I know a lot about many species. Which combined with an inventive nature, shapes me as a scientist. I think a lot about the topics I work with. My head is therefore always researching in some way. So my research can be combined with going hunting. Or going for a walk in the garden, the forest or on the beach with my wife and children. I am therefore so privileged that I both work with nature and relax in nature. I hope and joyfully believe that my children have received some of that interest as the genetic heritage.