How to Tame a Fox (and Build a Dog)

"A delightful history. . . . Recounts the story of the experiments in a very readable and non-technical way, while relating the work to genetics, ethology, evolutionary biology, and the spotty history of Soviet science in the mid 20th century. A photo section of the domesticated foxes is guaranteed to touch even the most serious reader. Recommended. All readers."-- "Choice" "An excellent book. The writing is clear and makes for fascinating popular science. This book will attract a wide audience, and I know of none other with such a dramatic combination of good science and social history."--Aubrey Manning, coauthor of An Introduction to Animal Behaviour "Can new kinds of animals be brought into being outside of DNA tinkering and Frankensteining? Most certainly, as a long-running Russian experiment reveals. . . . The science is profound, but the authors write accessibly and engagingly--and their vulpine subjects are awfully cute, too. Of compelling interest to any animal lover and especially to devotees of canids of all kinds."-- "Kirkus Reviews, starred review" "Dugatkin and Trut have collaborated to produce a well-written and engaging account of one the most influential biological studies ever: the fox farm experiment. Over sixty years ago, a Russian geneticist dared to start an experiment to see if foxes could be domesticated and what variables contributed to the changes domestication brought. The courage involved in starting such an experiment in the USSR of the 1950s was remarkable; the dedication and curiosity that have kept it going ever since have led to stunning new insights on the mechanisms of domestication. Every biologist should read this book!"--Pat Shipman, author of The Invaders: How Humans and Their Dogs Drove Neanderthals to Extinction "In the first book on the famous 'Siberian fox study, ' this extraordinary chronicle recounts one of the world's most important animal studies. It has not only provided stunning insights into how domestication works and how fast it can happen. It also helps us understand the origins of our deepest non-human bonds--our friendships with our dogs--and where and how they came into being."--Carl Safina, author of Beyond Words: What Animals Think and Feel "Intelligent, accessible, and engaging. It's a story of courage as well as genius, and a reminder of the enormous value of a scientific curiosity."-- "Chapter 16" "It's a story of science. . . .But it's also very much a human story. . . . It's a story of persistence against all odds."-- "The Hoopoe, NHBS" "Over the course of decades, Russian scientists transformed wild foxes into friendly pets. They used no science-fiction genetic engineering. They simply guided evolution. This landmark experiment tells us some profound things about domestication, behavior, and ourselves. Finally, someone has written a book-length account of the experience--and a fascinating one at that."--Carl Zimmer, author of Evolution: The Triumph of an Idea "Trut and Dugatkin lovingly recount some of the experiment's milestones, including the first fox born with a wagging tail and the first one with droopy ears. . . . At every step, the authors skillfully weave the science of domestication into the narrative of foxes becoming ever-more doglike."-- "Science News" "Do you like charming memoirs about people's relationships with endearing animals? Do you like expansive, dramatic accounts of evolution in action? Do you like hard-nosed, laboratory-based studies of animal development? Then you'll love this book, which contrives to combine all three approaches in its account of some groundbreaking studies in animal domestication, begun in the Soviet Union by co-author Lyudmila Trut and her boss Dmitri Belyaev in 1959...Trut, in collaboration with Lee Alan Dugatkin, a US evolutionary biologist, captures both the charm of her life

Lee Alan Dugatkin is an evolutionary biologist and historian of science in the department of biology at the University of Louisville. His books include The Altruism Equation: Seven Scientists Search for the Origins of Goodness and Mr. Jefferson and the Giant Moose: Natural History in Early America, the latter also published by the University of Chicago Press. Lyudmila Trut is a professor of evolutionary genetics at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, in Novosibirsk, Siberia. She has been the lead researcher on the silver fox domestication experiment since 1959.