Horses and humans have a long shared history. But where and when people first domesticated these powerful animals to use for travel, communication, agriculture and warfare has been murky.

Archaeozoologist William Taylor is based at the University of Colorado Boulder but spends a lot of time in Mongolia, where he and his team recover bones and artifacts that are melting out of receding mountain ice. He writes about how new research tools are helping scientists use finds like his to refine the origin story of the human-horse relationship. Sequencing genes, examining wear patterns on jaws and skeletons, considering evidence of ancient corrals and deposits of milk on ceramics – many lines of inquiry “seem to converge on the idea that horse domestication probably did take place in the Black Sea steppes, but much later” than previously hypothesized.

Also in this week’s science news:

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Maggie Villiger

Senior Science + Technology Editor
Horses supported travel, communication, agriculture and warfare across much of the ancient world. Wolfgang Kaehler/LightRocket via Getty Images

Domesticating horses had a huge impact on human society − new science rewrites where and when it first happened

William Taylor, University of Colorado Boulder

New analyses of bones, teeth, genetics and artifacts suggest it’s time to revise a long-standing hypothesis for how humans domesticated horses.
Throw it for me! Purple Collar Pet Photography/Moment, via Getty Images

Cats and dogs both like to play fetch − it’s rooted in their hunting instincts

Mikel Delgado, Purdue University; Judith Stella, Purdue University

About 80% of dogs and 40% of cats will fetch, a new study finds. Domesticating turned these carnivores’ hunting methods into a game.
Many respiratory viral infections can cause long-term symptoms. sbk_20d pictures/Moment via Getty Images

Long COVID inflicts deep scars on the lungs, but targeting specific immune cells could reverse damage − new research in mice

Harish Narasimhan, University of Virginia

Researchers developed a new mouse model that replicates long COVID-19 more accurately than current models. Their findings could lead to new treatments.

5 lessons from ancient civilizations for keeping homes cool in hot, dry climates

Adriana Zuniga-Teran, University of Arizona

Builders knew how to keep people cool in hot, dry climates thousands of years ago. It’s time to get that knowledge back.

Mitochondria keep your brain cells alive − helping them run smoothly may protect against Parkinson’s disease

Rebecca Zhangqiuzi Fan, Florida International University; Kim Tieu, Florida International University

As the powerhouse of the cell, mitochondria lie at the intersection of many essential biochemical pathways. When they go awry, neurodegenerative diseases can result.

What is space made of? An astrophysics expert explains all the components – from radiation to dark matter – found in the vacuum of space

Nilakshi Veerabathina, University of Texas at Arlington

While space is mostly empty, it does have some matter and particles spread throughout it.

2 solar probes are helping researchers understand what phenomenon powers the solar wind

Yeimy J. Rivera, Smithsonian Institution; Michael L. Stevens, Smithsonian Institution; Samuel Badman, Smithsonian Institution

For years, researchers have wondered what energy source allows the solar wind − a projection of charged particles from the Sun − to rush by at hundreds of miles a second.