Description

---

Without domestication, civilization as we know it would not exist.

Since that fateful day when the first wolf decided to stay close to human hunters, humans and their various animal companions have thrived far beyond nearly all wild species on earth. Tameness is the key trait in the domestication of cats, dogs, horses, cows, and other mammals, from rats to reindeer. Surprisingly, with selection for tameness comes a suite of seemingly unrelated alterations, including floppy ears, skeletal and coloration changes, and sex differences. It’s a package deal known as the domestication syndrome, elements of which are also found in humans. Our highly social nature—one of the keys to our evolutionary success—is due to our own tameness. In Domesticated, Richard C. Francis weaves history and anthropology with cutting-edge ideas in genomics and evo devo to tell the story of how we domesticated the world, and ourselves in the process.

About the Author

---

Richard C. Francis is a science journalist with a PhD in neurobiology from Stony Brook University. He is the author of the acclaimed books Domesticated, Epigenetics, and Why Men Won’t Ask for Directions.

Praise For…

---

Francis goes wide and deep in this wonderful, well-written book.
— Christine Kenneally, author of The Invisible History of the Human Race

Intriguing…Our self-domestication, [Francis] avers, has driven the cultural dynamism that has made us what we are.
— Nature

A scientific, fascinating look at the domestication of animals.
— Kansas City Star

A provocative account of the latest developments in evolutionary biology.
— Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

An effective primer on molecular genetics and the field of evolutionary development…Francis’s ability to weave in interesting asides keeps the text thought provoking.
— Publishers Weekly