Tucked away in Siberia, there are furry, four-legged creatures with
wagging tails and floppy ears that are as docile and friendly as
any lapdog. But, despite appearances, these are not dogs—they are
foxes. They are the result of the most astonishing experiment in
breeding ever undertaken—imagine speeding up thousands of years
of evolution into a few decades. In 1959, biologists Dmitri Belyaev
and Lyudmila Trut set out to do just that, by starting with a few
dozen silver foxes from fox farms in the USSR and attempting to
recreate the evolution of wolves into dogs in real time in order to
witness the process of domestication. This is the extraordinary,
untold story of this remarkable undertaking. Most accounts of the
natural evolution of wolves place it over a span of about 15,000
years, but within a decade, Belyaev and Trut’s fox breeding
experiments had resulted in puppy-like foxes with floppy ears,
piebald spots, and curly tails. Along with these physical changes
came genetic and behavioral changes, as well. The foxes were bred
using selection criteria for tameness, and with each generation,
they became increasingly interested in human companionship. Trut
has been there the whole time, and has been the lead scientist on
this work since Belyaev’s death in 1985, and with Lee Dugatkin,
biologist and science writer, she tells the story of the adventure,
science, politics, and love behind it all. In How to Tame a Fox,
Dugatkin and Trut take us inside this path-breaking experiment in
the midst of the brutal winters of Siberia to reveal how scientific
history is made and continues to be made today. To date, fifty-six
generations of foxes have been domesticated, and we continue to
learn significant lessons from them about the genetic and
behavioral evolution of domesticated animals. How to Tame a Fox
offers an incredible tale of scientists at work, while also
celebrating the deep attachments that have brought humans and
animals together throughout time.
General
| Imprint: |
University of Chicago Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Release date: |
October 2018 |
| Authors: |
Lee Alan Dugatkin
• Lyudmila Trut
|
| Dimensions: |
229 x 152 x 23mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
| Pages: |
216 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-226-59971-7 |
| Categories: |
Books
|
| LSN: |
0-226-59971-X |
| Barcode: |
9780226599717 |
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
(1)
