Focus - When We Love Dogs
How We're Wired
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The Evolution of Friendship in Dogs
Dogs descended from famously unfriendly wolves how did that change come about? Some of my collaborators in particular Bridget Von Holt at Princeton University who's a behavioral geneticist we have uncovered three genes that appear to have mutated. In the journey from wolf to dog there were three important mutations that make dogs much friendlier and more willing to form emotional connections with members of other species than wolves are. These genes if you or I have mutations in these genes these three genes are among the two dozen genes that contribute to a rare developmental disorder called Williams-Buren syndrome.
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