Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory Science Newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advances and more.

CNN
–

New research shows that the two well-preserved ice age “puppies” found in northern Siberia may not be dogs at all.

Still furry and naturally preserved in ice for thousands of years, “Tamat puppies” contain tips for the last meal of the stomach, including meat from the fur and the meat of a small bird called wagtail, as is known.

Previously, it was thought to be an early domesticated dog or a domesticated wolf living near humans, so the animal remains were found near the bones of wool mammoths burned and cut by humans, suggesting that humans lived near where the mammoths were slaughtered.

By analyzing genetic data from intestinal content and chemical characteristics of bone, teeth and soft tissue, the researchers now believe the animal is a two-month old wolf puppy, and does not show evidence of interaction with people, according to findings published Thursday in Quaternary Research.

Neither of the mummy wolf cubs believed to be sisters show any indication of an attack or injury. Research shows that the burrow collapse may have been caused by landslides.

A wealth of data from the ruins shed light on the daily lives of ice age animals, similar to modern wolves’ habits.

“It was incredible to preserve the two sisters of this era so well, but even more incredible, many of their stories were previously doctoral students at York University and Copenhagen, until the last meal they ate. “While many would be disappointed that these animals were almost certainly wolves and not early domesticated dogs, it helped us to understand the environment at the time, how these animals lived, and how amazingly similar these animals were to modern wolves.”

Numerous studies of these puppies and other specimens show how difficult it is to prove when dogs, widely considered first domesticated animals, become part of human society.

Confined to thawed permafrost, Tumat puppies were found separately at the Syalakh site, about 25 miles (40 km) from the nearest Tumat village. Dr. Nathan Wales, a senior lecturer in archaeology at York University in the UK, said that the contents of the hair, skin, nails and the entire stomach can survive under the correct conditions.

“The most surprising thing for me is that the archaeologists discovered their second Tumat puppy a few years after the first one was discovered,” Runge told CNN. “It’s very rare to find two very well-preserved specimens, and then it turns out to be a sibling/littleman. It’s extraordinary.”

Like modern wolves, puppies ate both meat and plants. Wool rhinoceros are quite large prey for wolves to hunt, but one puppy’s wool rhino skin fragments are evidence of inuid diet. The skin of the blonde furry rhino was partially digested, suggesting that the puppy was resting in the den, and died shortly after his last meal, Lange said.

The colour of wool rhino fur matches the colour of the calf, based on previous studies of larval wool rhino specimens found in permafrost. Adult wool rhinoceros probably had dark fur. According to the study authors, a herd of adult wolves hunted the calves and returned them to their dens to feed the puppies.

“The hunting of animals like furry rhinoceros suggests that even babies are likely larger than the wolves we see today,” Wales wrote in a statement.

Researchers also revealed that the small plants remained fossilized in the Cub’s stomach, and that wolves lived in a dry, somewhat calm environment that supported a variety of vegetation, such as grasslands, willows and shrub leaves.

Researchers say that in addition to eating solid food, puppies are likely still breastfeeding milk from their mothers.

What scientists couldn’t find was evidence that mammoths were part of the Cubs’ diet. This means that it is unlikely that the people in that place are feeding the inuids. But is it possible that people shared a cub and wool rhinoceros? That’s something Wales considered, but now he believes the evidence is being shown in other directions.

“Modern wolves know that they hunt big prey like elk, moose, and musk cows. Anyone who watches animal documentaries knows that wolves tend to choose boys or weak people when they hunt,” Wales wrote in an email. “I lean towards the interpretation that Tamat puppies were given to some of the young woolly rhinoceros (by adult wolves).”

The origin of wool rhino meat is impossible to identify. Wolfpacks may have hunted calves and cleaned them from corpses and slaughterhouses, but given the Cubs’ age and the fact that their burrows fell, it appears unlikely that they were directly supplied by humans.

The fact that cubs were kept in dens and were fed in packs, just as how wolves breed and young today, also suggests that Tamat puppies are wolves rather than dogs, Wales said.

It is difficult to draw a wider picture of a wolf during the Ice Age. It is unclear how the wolf packs interacted with ancient humans, Runge said, as no written sources or cave art were found.

“We need to try to explain our own biases and preconceptions based on the interactions of human wolfs today,” she writes. “And we have to be okay with knowing that we can never answer some of the questions.”

Researchers are still trying to understand how domesticated dogs became human companions. One hypothesis is that wolves lived near humans and cleaned their food. However, the domestication process requires humans to tolerate this behavior for generations. Another hypothesis is that humans will capture aggressively, hand-raised wolves, some of which will be isolated from the wild population and become early dogs.

Previous DNA testing in the Cubs suggested that it could have come from the now extinct wolves that eventually died.

“When we talk about the origins of dogs, we are talking about the first domesticated animals,” Wales said. “And that’s why scientists need to have really solid evidence to claim early dogs.”

All the evidence found by the authors of the new study are compatible with wolves living on their own, Wales said.

“Today, Ritters are often more than two larger, and it is possible that Tamat puppies had brothers who escaped the fate of their brothers,” he said. “We may see more cubs hidden in permafrost or have been defeated by erosion.”

Dr. Linus Girdland-Flink, a lecturer in biomolecular archaeology at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland, said that the dogs remained like the Holy Grail at the location and time when they were domesticated. Girdland-Flink’s research is about ancient wolves and dogs, but he was not involved in new research.

However, he said it is not easy to determine whether ancient relics like the Tumat puppy are early dogs, wild wolves, scavengers, or domesticated individuals because of fragmented archaeological records. One piece of evidence does not lead to a definitive answer. And it is even more difficult to make comparisons involving cubs, as adult traits help to distinguish between wild wolves and domesticated dogs.

“Instead, we must put together evidence for various proxies, archaeological, morphological, genetic and ecological, and consider how they fit,” Girdland-Flink wrote in an email. “So I really welcome this new, interdisciplinary Tamat puppy reanalysis.”

Girdland-Flink was not surprised that the Cubs were not associated with the mammoth slaughter site – there is no significant evidence. And combined with the lack of strong genetic connections with dogs, he agreed that the Cubs must come from a population of wolves that do not live with humans.

There is new confusion and uncertainty about who will get the shot after federal health officials suddenly changed their Covid-19 vaccine recommendations for pregnant women last month. Currently, 30 health and healthcare institutions are seeking ongoing access to vaccines and insurance coverage.

The organization, which includes key experts in obstetricians, primary care providers, pediatricians, pharmacists and nurses, wrote, “We are deeply concerned that the recently adopted HHS policy will not recommend Covid-19 vaccination during pregnancy.” “It is important that pregnant women continue to have access to this preventative tool, so they can protect themselves and their younger infants.

The letter is called “to payers and insurers to make Covid-19 vaccines available to pregnant people without excessive use management or cost sharing requirements.”

Pregnant women with Covid-19 are more likely to require care in an ICU or ventilator, or when they die, they are at increased risk for complications such as caesarean section, pre-lamps or acupuncture, blood clots and other complications. Infants born after Covid-19 infection are also facing an increased risk.

The letter comes two weeks after US Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. suddenly announced that the Covid-19 vaccine, which has been shown to be safe and effective during pregnancy, will no longer be recommended for pregnant people. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration leader recently outlined a new framework for the Covid-19 vaccine approval process.

Experts quickly warned that these changes could create new barriers to vaccines for those who want them, including confusion about eligible patients and higher costs, if insurance no longer covers them.

The American Association of Pharmacists, signing the open letter, said it had already received reports that patients had been denied the Covid-19 vaccine.

Lehi Haldeman, 33, a pregnant nurse at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, told CNN she had tried twice to get vaccinated last week, telling CNN she turned her back.

“It’s definitely important to me to get the vaccine right now and boost that extra immunity due to some complications during my first pregnancy,” said Haldeman, who won his last shot in the fall of 2024.

At two different pharmacies, she was told that it is not recommended for pregnant women to receive the Covid-19 vaccine based on the new guidelines.

She still couldn’t get a shot.

Many doctors still strongly recommend getting a Covid-19 vaccine during pregnancy.

“Despite the changes in recommendations from the HHS, science has not changed,” the American College of Obstetricians said in a statement. “It is very clear that Covid-19 infection during pregnancy can lead to devastating and major disability, and can have devastating consequences for families. During pregnancy, Covid-19 vaccines are safe and can protect postnatal patients and infants.”

After last week’s appointment, Haldeman agreed to the obstetrician’s advice to get additional Covid-19 shots during pregnancy. Her first attempt was at the Walgreens store where she had an appointment to get the vaccine.

“I went through the entire check-in process, and as soon as the pharmacist saw I was pregnant they said, ‘We can’t give you this,'” she said. “We’re just giving it to people who are immunocompromised right now.”

She said she asked if she was considered an immunocompromised patient because she was pregnant. Haldeman said the pharmacist responded that guidelines had been changed and that it was not recommended and that they would not give it to her.

She then called her primary care provider and obstetrician, but neither of them had the vaccine in stock. For the past few years, pharmacies have managed most of their Covid-19 shots.

A Walgreens spokesperson told CNN: “We will continue to closely monitor and review all federal and state guidance related to vaccines. As regulations and recommendations evolve, our pharmacy teams continue to be committed to ensuring that they are up to date to support patient care.”

Haldeman said her obstetrician suggested that she try another pharmacy. She called Safeway and said, “I’ve been pregnant for 25 weeks. My provider recommends getting this covid booster. Can you give me that?”

The immediate answer was no.

“I’m under the impression I need to get this from a provider,” she recalls saying. “The pharmacy is the only people who seem to have it now. What do you need to do to get this vaccine?”

She said the pharmacist told her, “As of last Friday, the guidelines have changed. We can’t give you that.”

The pharmacist suggested that Haldemann try to get a prescription for the vaccine from the provider so that the pharmacy can administer it. Her obstetrician wrote a prescription for the vaccine and sent it to Safeway Pharmacy, but when Haldeman visited the location at 7pm the same day, she was told the pharmacy had not received the prescription.

In a statement from a company spokesman, Albertsons, the parent company of Safeway, told CNN: “We have adjusted our Covid-19 vaccination policy in accordance with the recently updated CDC guidance. Pregnant individuals with certain medical conditions that increase the risk of severe symptoms remain suitable for vaccination.

The lack of clarity made Haldemann unsure about what to do next.

“I spent half of this. …Most people are probably not going to go to those lengths to get the vaccine. The more hoops you have to jump people, the fewer people will get the vaccine,” Haldeman said. “And you know that having covid during pregnancy will do something terrible for your placenta, and certainly reducing that risk is worth it. So it’s very frustrating.”

The American Association of Pharmacists said in a news release that updates to its Covid-19 recommendations “doesn’t believe they are based on scientific evidence provided over the past few years.

However, pharmacists “can face consequences if they fail to follow the Advisory Committee on Vaccination Practices or CDC Recommendations,” said Allison Hill, the association’s Director of Professional Affairs.

“Recent changes to the HHS and CDC’s Covid-19 recommendations create barriers and confusion,” Hill said.

Following an unusual update to HHS’s Covid-19 vaccine schedule, there was a drastic change to the CDC’s advisory committee on vaccination practices this week. Kennedy said it bypassed ACIP when making changes to Covid-19 and rejected an entire panel of 17 members this week. On Wednesday, Kennedy announced eight new members to ACIP.

The removal of vaccine advisors has led to a rapid backlash from healthcare providers and professional organizations.

Dr. Tinatan, president of the American Infectious Diseases Association, another organisation that signed the open letter, said that eroding the integrity of ACIP was “completely unfounded” and “has a major negative impact on Americans of all ages.”

The Pharmacists Association said Tuesday: “We are extremely concerned about removing 17 scientists overnight to eliminate the historical knowledge, scientific training and clinical expertise needed for pharmacists and the public to make the right choice for their health based on risk.”

Kennedy said doctors are worried about the future of patients and vaccinations since announcing a change in schedule for the Covid-19 vaccine.

“We are concerned about future patients. Patients may be less likely to choose to vaccinate during pregnancy despite clear and conclusive evidence demonstrating their benefits,” Dr. Stephen J. Freshman, president of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said in a statement. “We are concerned about the impact on access and what this recommendation means for the insurance policy for the Covid-19 vaccine for those who choose to get vaccinated during their pregnancy.

Studies have shown that infants born after Covid-19 infection during pregnancy are at increased risk for stillbirth, difficulty breathing and low birth weight.

“There is a risk of premature birth due to impaired maternal health and the risk of potential loss of a very small baby, or fetal loss,” said Dr. Frol Munoz Rivas, associate professor of pediatrics and infectious diseases at Baylor School of Medicine.

Dr. John Lynch, associate medical director at Harbourview Medical Center and a colleague at Haldeman, said Covid-19 vaccinations during pregnancy also benefit newborns.

“Vaccinating a mother will help protect the baby when there is no immune response,” Lynch said.

Covid vaccines are not available to babies under six months old, so vaccinating mothers may be the safest way for young children to gain some kind of immunity.

“The first year of life is the highest risk, and this is a vaccine-preventable disease,” Munoz said. “We can change the outcomes for these babies through maternal vaccinations and infant vaccinations.”