Explorer
How Man Tamed the Wild
TV-G
2010 • E15 Oct 23, 2010 60mAnimal domestication was a major prerequisite for human civilization to evolve. How did such an important and dramatic shift from wild to tame happen? In the past few years, science has begun to reveal the genetic code that made it all possible. DNA and archaeological evidence are now painting a very different picture of human / animal history. Domestication means altering the size, shape, and behavior of animals through long-term selective breeding. Not all animals can be domesticated however. Why did the horse accept mans control but not the zebra? The answer may lie somewhere in the DNA, and pinpointing the exact gene is the next step in discovering what makes one animal afraid and another curious. It may even suggest that some great apes, and perhaps even humans are actually self-domesticated.