Why Some Wolves Became Dogs Latest Pet Health News WEDNESDAY,
Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- The question of how some wolves
evolved into the trusty dogs that work on farms, lead the blind
and curl up on pillows in bedrooms has remained largely
unanswered. An international team of researchers used complex
genetic analysis and an understanding of archeology, ecology,
biochemistry and agricultural science to discover that
adaptations that allowed dogs to thrive on starch-rich diets was
central to the domestication of canines. "I think the
domestication of dogs is especially interesting because we have
such a special relationship with dogs; they stand out in terms
of being domesticated animals, as they become part of our
families," explained study author Erik Axelsson, an assistant
professor at Uppsala University, in Sweden. The transition from
wolf to dog was relatively simple. In early agricultural
settlements, "humans began to gather their trash into small
waste dumps, which might have attracted wolves because t