The human-dog connection
How dogs became domesticated
source: Karen E Lange
National Geographic vol 201 no 1 January 2002 p4
from 'Wolf to Woof' starts p2, 30 pages long
There is evidence that dogs had started to become domesticated some 14,000 years ago, though it is unclear why. Some scientists believe that wolf pups were adopted by humans, with less aggressive pups, and those that begged better for food, being favoured through natural selection. Other scientists see early dogs as attracted to human refuse tips, and canids that did not run away from people tending to be selected for. Dogs just had to be able to eat near people to be selected for, according to RaymondCoppinger, a biologist. Wolves and dogs have almost identical DNA.
DO,BC
