Author: Bryan Sykes
Publisher: Liveright Publishing
ISBN: 1631493809
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 320
Get Book Here
Book Description
The author of Seven Daughters of Eve returns with a lively account of how all dogs are descended from a mere handful of wolves. How did wolves evolve into dogs? When did this happen, and what role did humans play? Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes used the full array of modern technology to explore the canine genetic journey that likely began when a human child decided to adopt a wolf cub thousands of years ago. In the process, he discovered that only a handful of genes have created the huge range of shapes, sizes, and colors in modern dogs. Providing scientific insight into these adaptive stages, Sykes focuses attention on our own species, and how our own evolution from (perhaps equally aggressive) primates was enhanced by this most unlikely ally. Whether examining our obsession with canine purity, or delving into the prehistoric past to answer the most fundamental question of all, “Why do we love our dog so much?,” Once a Wolf is an engaging work no dog lover or ancestry aficionado should be without.
Author: Bryan Sykes
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1631496611
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Get Book Here
Book Description
The author of Seven Daughters of Eve returns with a lively account of how all dogs are descended from a mere handful of wolves. How did wolves evolve into dogs? When did this happen, and what role did humans play? Oxford geneticist Bryan Sykes used the full array of modern technology to explore the canine genetic journey that likely began when a human child decided to adopt a wolf cub thousands of years ago. In the process, he discovered that only a handful of genes have created the huge range of shapes, sizes, and colors in modern dogs. Providing scientific insight into these adaptive stages, Sykes focuses attention on our own species, and how our own evolution from (perhaps equally aggressive) primates was enhanced by this most unlikely ally. Whether examining our obsession with canine purity, or delving into the prehistoric past to answer the most fundamental question of all, “Why do we love our dog so much?,” Once a Wolf is an engaging work no dog lover or ancestry aficionado should be without.
Author: Professor Bryan Sykes
Publisher: William Collins
ISBN: 9780008244453
Category : Dogs
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Get Book Here
Book Description
The evolution of dogs and the forces that drove its amazing transformation from a fierce wild carnivore, the wolf, to the astonishing range of comparatively docile domesticated dogs that we know today.
Author: Bryan Sykes
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780008244415
Category : Dogs
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Get Book Here
Book Description
The genetic history of the dog is a sensational example of the co-evolution of two species, man and wolf, to each other's mutual benefit. But how did this ancient partnership begin? To answer this question, Professor Bryan Sykes identifies tantalising clues in the recently mapped genetic makeup of both species. Sykes paints a vivid picture of the dog as an ancient and essential ally. While undoubtedly it was the mastery of fire, language and agriculture that propelled Homo sapiens from a scarce, medium-sized primate to the position we enjoy today, Sykes crucially credits a fourth element for this success: the transformation of the wolf into the multi-purpose helpmate that is the dog. Drawing upon archaeology, history and genetics, Sykes shows how humans evolved to become the dominant species on Earth, but only with the help of our canine companions.--Provided by publisher.
Author: Mark Derr
Publisher: Abrams
ISBN: 1590209915
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 207
Get Book Here
Book Description
This “informative account” of canine evolution will “appeal to dog lovers with a curiosity about the origins of their favorite companion.” (Publishers Weekly) Many have made the case that dogs have evolved from wolves but the evolutionary link between wolves and dogs remains a mystery. In How the Dog Became the Dog, Mark Derr posits that the dog’s evolution from wolf was inevitable due to the mutually beneficial nature of the relationship between wolves and hunter-gatherer humans. How the Dog Became the Dog presents the domestication of the dog as a biological and cultural process that began with a reciprocal cooperation between dogwolves and humans that evolved over time, from the first dogs that took refuge with humans against the cold at the end of the last Ice Age, to the 18th century, when humans began to exercise full control of dog reproduction, life, and death, through centuries of natural and artificial selection that led us to the many breeds of dogs we know and love today. “A transporting slice of dog/wolf thinking that will pique the interest of anyone with a dog in their orbit.” —Kirkus Reviews
Author: Craig Banks Merow
Publisher: McFarland
ISBN: 1476651175
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 232
Get Book Here
Book Description
The social status of dogs has changed dramatically in the past 75 years. Today, most dog owners and small animal veterinarians consider companion canines to be members of their families and communities. However, the attitudes of some dog owners concerning their responsibilities to their dogs--and many of the laws that regulate dog ownership and veterinary medical practice--largely reflect the human/canine relationship and ethical norms of an earlier era. This incongruity leads to unmet needs for companion canines and high levels of stress for many veterinary clinicians. This book presents arguments for human responsibilities to companion canines, a detailed analysis of what those responsibilities entail, and the professional ethical standards and laws needed to ensure that responsibilities are met. A new moral framework--the Custodial Property Framework--is created for the care and medical treatment of companion canines, and is grounded in a detailed analysis of the responsibilities of care generated by the relationship we have with our "best friends."
Author: Bryan Sykes
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 0871403587
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Get Book Here
Book Description
Crisscrossing the continent, a renowned geneticist provides a groundbreaking examination of America through its DNA. Bryan Sykes, one of the world’s leading geneticists and best-selling author of The Seven Daughters of Eve, sets his sights on America, one of the most genetically variegated countries in the world. Sykes embarks on a road trip—DNA testing kit in tow—interviewing genealogists, anthropologists, and everyday Americans, tracing America’s history along a double helix that stretches from the last Ice Age to the present day. What emerges is an unprecedented look into America’s genetic mosaic that challenges the very notion of how we perceive race and what it means to be an American.
Author: Lee Alan Dugatkin
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022659971X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 237
Get Book Here
Book Description
Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs—they are foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in breeding ever undertaken—imagine speeding up thousands of years of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time in order to witness the process of domestication. This is the extraordinary, untold story of this remarkable undertaking. Most accounts of the natural evolution of wolves place it over a span of about 15,000 years, but within a decade, Belyaev and Trut’s fox breeding experiments had resulted in puppy-like foxes with floppy ears, piebald spots, and curly tails. Along with these physical changes came genetic and behavioral changes, as well. The foxes were bred using selection criteria for tameness, and with each generation, they became increasingly interested in human companionship. Trut has been there the whole time, and has been the lead scientist on this work since Belyaev’s death in 1985, and with Lee Dugatkin, biologist and science writer, she tells the story of the adventure, science, politics, and love behind it all. In How to Tame a Fox, Dugatkin and Trut take us inside this path-breaking experiment in the midst of the brutal winters of Siberia to reveal how scientific history is made and continues to be made today. To date, fifty-six generations of foxes have been domesticated, and we continue to learn significant lessons from them about the genetic and behavioral evolution of domesticated animals. How to Tame a Fox offers an incredible tale of scientists at work, while also celebrating the deep attachments that have brought humans and animals together throughout time.
Author: John Bradshaw
Publisher: Basic Books
ISBN: 0465031633
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 312
Get Book Here
Book Description
Dogs have been mankind's faithful companions for tens of thousands of years, yet today they are regularly treated as either pack-following wolves or furry humans. The truth is, dogs are neither -- and our misunderstanding has put them in serious crisis. What dogs really need is a spokesperson, someone who will assert their specific needs. Renowned anthrozoologist Dr. John Bradshaw has made a career of studying human-animal interactions, and in Dog Sense he uses the latest scientific research to show how humans can live in harmony with -- not just dominion over -- their four-legged friends. From explaining why positive reinforcement is a more effective (and less damaging) way to control dogs' behavior than punishment to demonstrating the importance of weighing a dog's unique personality against stereotypes about its breed, Bradshaw offers extraordinary insight into the question of how we really ought to treat our dogs.
Author: Bryan Sykes
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 9780393323146
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324
Get Book Here
Book Description
This national bestseller, now in paperback, reveals how all humans are descended from seven prehistoric women--the Seven Daughters of Eve.
