Dogs And More Dogs (NOVA Documentary)

Please Subscribe To The Evolution Documentary YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com Broadcast (2004) Where do dogs in all their amazing diversity come from? Tradition says that thousands of years ago someone tamed a wolf pup, thus creating the first of our best friends. But many scientists disagree. On "Dogs and More Dogs," NOVA goes to the dogs—and to leading researchers—to find out the truth. Narrated by John Lithgow, the program ranges from a wolf research facility in rural Indiana to the Westminster Dog Show in New York's Madison Square Garden. NOVA makes a fascinating detour to the city dump in Tijuana, Mexico, where viewers get surprising insight into the origin and evolutionary strategy of our canine companions. The program also investigates dog genetic diseases—how they reflect misguided breeding practices and, surprisingly, what they tell us about our own genetic disorders. Along the way, viewers will learn about the biological mechanisms behind floppy ears, curved tails, spotted coats, short legs, long snouts, and the countless other traits that make dogs so doggone different. Dog evolution is simpler than most people think, contends Raymond Coppinger, professor of biology at Hampshire College and coauthor of Dogs: A Startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior & Evolution. Coppinger is convinced that, contrary to the traditional theory that humans actively domesticated wolves, wolves themselves chose domestication because of the easy pickings in Stone Age ...