SHAMELESS: Scientists want to re-define animal ‘domestication’; humans not directly responsible
A collaborative team of researchers from the U.S. and the U.K. proposed a new definition for 'domestication'. For ages, domestication has been portrayed as a uniquely human accomplishment, where species become domestic only through our deliberate control, with a belief that humans are superior to other animals. Cats, dogs and farm animals are what come to mind when we think of domesticated animals. The researchers claim this definition fails to capture the full complexity of how the domestication process truly unfolds. According to their recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, domestication should be viewed as an evolutionary process resulting from the interaction between two species, one of which is human, and the other a species that cannot sustain itself outside the environment.
SANJUKTA MONDAL: Cats, dogs and farm animals are what come to mind when we think of domesticated animals. For ages, domestication has been portrayed as a uniquely human accomplishment, where species become domestic only through our deliberate control. This belief is supported by the fact that human interference has not only reshaped the planet, but also significantly altered plants and animals; agriculture and rangelands now occupy about one-third of Earth’s land surface…
Previous attempts to define domestic organisms have heavily leaned on the construct of human control, intentionality and exceptionalism—a belief that humans are superior to other animals. They characterized domestic populations as those whose nutrition, safety and breeding are managed by humans… While the idea that domestication is controlled by humans is not entirely false, it still fails to capture the full complexity of how the domestication process truly unfolds…. contrary to the popular notion, most populations that are typically considered domestic are not actually under direct human control. For instance, 76%–83% of dogs live beyond direct human control…
A collaborative team of researchers from the U.S. and the U.K. proposed a universally relevant definition for domestication. According to their recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, domestication should be viewed as an evolutionary process resulting from the interaction between two species, one of which is human, and the other a species that cannot sustain itself outside the environment created by human activities or an anthropogenic niche. SOURCE…
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