The Wolves That Became Dogs: A New Model for Rapid Domestication

Mathematical simulations challenge the timeline of dog evolution—and may change how we think about early human-animal relationships.

The Mystery of the First Dogs

Dogs, our oldest animal companions, have walked beside humans for tens of thousands of years. But how did this ancient partnership begin? For decades, scientists have debated whether humans actively tamed wolves through selective breeding or whether some wolves self-domesticated by scavenging near human settlements, leading …