Tamaskan dogWIKIMEDIA, ALLISON LAINGA comparison of the full genomes of dogs and wolves revealed many changes that accrued as wild canines evolved into man’s best friend. Unsurprisingly, many of these differing regions regions affect the brain, and may explain the different temperaments of wolves and dogs. But the comparison, published today in Nature also pinpointed several regions that are involved in digestion, including genes that help to break down starch.
“This supports the idea that proto-dogs evolved new digestive adaptations to rely on the edible by-product of the agricultural revolution – garbage,” said Brian Hare from Duke University, who studies animal domestication and was not involved in the study.
Israeli fossils and genetic studies date dog domestication to around 10,000 years ago, coinciding with the Agricultural Revolution, when humans went from nomadic hunter-gatherers to farming and living in settlements. Some scientists have suggested that wolves were attracted to dump sites near these early settlements and scavenged on leftovers from vegetables and cereal plants. “Dogs may have domesticated themselves by seeking out humans, to eat from their scrap-heaps,” said Kerstin Lindblad-Toh from Uppsala University, who led the new research.
Lindblad-Toh led the team that published the ...
