Thu January 24, 2013 In Order To Live With People, Canines
Evolved To Love Carbs Originally published on Fri February 15,
2013 8:42 am These days, a trip down the dog food aisle of your
local pet store or supermarket can be a little overwhelming.
There are hundreds of brands out there, catering to – let's be
honest – every dog owner's taste: everything from generic kibble
to organic nuggets. There are even dog food cookbooks and
specialty gourmet shops for people who want their pets to eat as
well – or better – than they do. How did we get here? The first
step happened thousands of years ago, when meat-eating wolves
evolved to tolerate people – and their more starchy, plant-based
diet. Now, dog food wasn't on Axelsson's mind when he started
looking for genetic differences between dogs and wolves. During
his research, Axelsson found changes between wolves and dogs in
genes related to the nervous system. But he also noticed
something else: "Three key genes involved in the digestion of
starch also look different