Thursday, April 16, 2015

Dog domestication from wolves

Most experts believe that dogs domesticated themselves. This was done when early civilizations left discarded carcases and the wolves that dared got close to the humans to gain food. Latest genetic investigations  suggest that dogs diverged from wolves and were domesticated as early as 135, 000 years ago. Some comparisons of DNA showed that dogs evolved from a now extinct group of wolves in Europe sometime between 19,000 and 32,000 years ago. Although there is much discovered of the possible origins and time of domestication of dogs, there is still so much left unconfirmed and unknown. The research and studies done here are about finding the truth, which is what science is about. Dogs are very diverse and maybe understanding their origins could also give us insight in human history, too.

2 comments:

  1. I never knew that there were people who thought that dogs domesticated themselves. I was always under the impression that people domesticated different dogs for different purposes and they did so intentionally. Dogs still have more in common with wolves than a lot of people realize and it frustrates me when I see people treat their dogs like people; I'm sure the last thing your dog wants is to be dressed up in some ridiculous outfit and be carried around in a purse.

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  2. Being that I have owned dogs all my life, and currently have three, I found this information so interesting.I never actually considered the possibility that dogs could have domesticated themselves, but after thinking about it, I really don't doubt that this was possible. Dogs are such intelligent animals and so I believe that the specific group of wolves believed to be the animals we call dogs today, also must have been so as well. The fact that dogs are notorious for 'begging' only strengthens the possibility in my mind that they over time connected that an easy way to obtain food would be becoming close with the humans around.

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