Study: Evolution of facial muscle anatomy in dogs

Read this new study from researchers Juliane Kaminski, Bridget M. Waller, Rui Diogo, Adam Hartstone-Rose, and Anne M. Burrows. The work ties into the history of the bond between humans and dogs that Made for Each Other (2019) documents throughout the film:

From the study:

“Dogs were shaped during the course of domestication both in their behavior and in their anatomical features. Here we show that domestication transformed the facial muscle anatomy of dogs specifically for facial communication with humans. . .Domestication shaped wolves into dogs and transformed both their behavior and their anatomy. Here we show that, in only 33,000 y, domestication transformed the facial muscle anatomy of dogs specifically for facial communication with humans.”

Access the study on PNAS here