Geneticist Finds ‘Friendliness’ Gene in Dogs That Proves How Much They Love Us
This is great news for dog owners.
There's no doubt in any dog owner's mind about how much we love our pets, but now there's solid, scientific proof that they love us right back. Even at the genetic level, dogs are hardwired for bonding with people. Not even wolves have these biological differences!
Princeton University geneticist Bridgett VonHoldt sat down with Anderson Cooper and 60 Minutes to talk about the 'friendliness mutations' in canines, which she recently discovered. Who knew one chromosome's differences could result in millennia of trust between dog and man?
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How cool is this? Not only are dogs genetically hardwired for unconditional love, but it was likely even a result of close contact with people in the first place. It turns out we have a lot more to thank early civilization for!
"So interesting," Rhiannon Hayes commented on the video. "Dogs are amazing creatures who make our lives so much better." You've got that right! Understanding more about the bond between people and pets can help us learn just how this amazing relationship came to be.
It's also mindblowing to see how a few mutations in chromosome 6 can change a lot about a species' behavior. Michelle Gumz must've felt the same way, because we just love what she wrote: "Can we take some extra 6 genes and put them on the drinking water? For the humans...not the dogs." LMAO!
Honestly, though, it's just a happy story all around. Shiela Hamm said, "We absolutely loved this segment. I always felt in my heart that dogs are amazing. You just proved it. Thank you for such a great feel-good story." We couldn't have said it better ourselves!
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