Study pinpoints genetic marker that makes dogs social

Study pinpoints genetic marker that makes dogs social

While the bond between humans and dogs now seems a natural part of life, a look at their closest living ancestor is a reminder that things weren’t always that way.

A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable.

According to the researchers, this marker is the same found in people with Williams-Beuren syndrome â€" a condition which essentially causes people to love everyone.

A new study has identified a genetic marker in dogs that sets them apart from wolves when it comes to human interaction, suggesting dogs may have developed a genetic condition through domestication that causes them to be so sociable. A stock image is pictured 

HOW DOGS WERE DOMESTICATED  

A genetic analysis of the world's oldest known dog remains has revealed that dogs were domesticated in a single event by humans living in Eurasia.

Dr Krishna Veeramah, an assistant professor in evolution at Stony Brook University, told MailOnline: 'The process of dog domestication would have been a very complex proces s, involving a number of generations where signature dog traits evolved gradually.

'The current hypothesis is that the domestication of dogs likely arose passively, with a population of wolves somewhere in the world living on the outskirts of hunter-gatherer camps feeding off refuse created by the humans.

'Those wolves that were tamer and less aggressive would have been more successful at this, and while the humans did not initially gain any kind of benefit from this process, over time they would have developed some kind of symbiotic [mutually beneficial] relationship with these animals, eventually evolving into the dogs we see today.'

The findings challenge previous research that suggests dogs were domesticated twice by separate groups living in east and western Eurasia, instead revealing all modern dogs descended from animals that were domesticated by people living in Eurasia 20,000- 40,000 years ago.

In the study led by Princeton University biologist Bridgett von Holdt and researchers at Oregon State University, the team put 18 domesticated dogs and 10 captive human-socialized wolves to the test using problem-solving tasks.

The canines were given a puzzle box containing a sausage, which they must open within two minutes.

But, a person was present during the task.

The experiment revealed that the dogs were more likely to give up on the task and stare at the human, while the wolves persisted and solved it, regardless of the person’s presence.

In a second test, a human participant was asked to sit down inside a marked circle.

For the ‘active phase,’ the person called the animal by name and encouraged contact, but did not leave the circle.

In the ‘passive phase,’ they sat in the circle and ignored the animal, instead looking toward the floor.

According to the researchers, both dogs and wolves approached the person in the circle right off the bat.

But, after just a few seconds, the wolves wandered away.

The dogs, on the other hand, stuck around for long periods of time â€" and, this occurred with both familiar and unfamiliar people.

Following the experiments, the team gathered blood samples from the animals.

Using molecular tools to analyze the samples, the team discovered the domestic dogs share the genetic markers of a person with Williams-Beuren syndrome.

In humans, this condition is characterized by distinctive facial features, cognitive disabilities, and hypersocial tendencies.

‘The genetic basis for the behavioural divergence between dogs and wolves has been poorly understood, especially with regard to dogs’ success in human environments,’ said Monique Udell, an animal scientist at Oregon State University.

While the bond between humans and dogs now seems a natural part of life, a look at their closest living ancestor is a reminder that things weren’t always that way. A stock image of a wolf is shown 

‘It was once thought that during domestication dogs had evolved an advanced form of social cognition that wolves lacked.

‘This new evidence would suggest that dogs instead have a genetic condition that can lead to an exaggerated motivation to seek social contact compared to wolves.’

According to the researchers, the discovery adds new understanding to the behavioural differences that appeared when dogs and wolves began to diverge thousands of years ago.

The experiments highlighted the effect of human presence when it comes to the animals’ behaviour.

‘We’ve done a lot of res earch that shows that wolves and dogs can perform equally well on social cognition tasks,’ Udell said.

According to the researchers, the genetic marker identified in the dogs is the same found in people with Williams-Beuren syndrome â€" a condition which essentially causes people to love everyone

‘Where the real difference seems to lie is the dog’s persistent gazing at people and a desire to seek prolonged proximity to people, past the point where you expect an adult animal to engage in this behaviour.’

In another study by the same team, the researchers also included free-ranging domestic dogs living on the streets of India in the problem-solving tasks, along with wolves and pet dogs.

And, while the wolves once again persisted in the task even when a person was present, the dogs remained more focused on the human.

In ‘a surprising and interesting finding,’ according to Lauren Brubaker, a doctoral student a t OSU who led the study, the team even found that the free roaming dogs were least interested in the task, and spent the most time gazing at the humans. 

 

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