Are Monkeys Starting To Domesticate Wolves?

While the vast majority of people know that dogs were domesticated from wolves, there's a surprisingly hot debate about when and why this happened, according to The Atlantic. Certainly, scientists agree that the process began thousands of years ago, but as to whether the process started in Europe or Asia, academics are still on the fence.

Scientists do have a decent idea, though, about how domestication might have happened. The thought goes that humans, after having carried out massive hunts — like, say, a hunt of a woolly mammoth – had lots of bones and scraps left over (via Science Focus). Wolves, sniffing out the meat, would have come closer to steal a snack, and eventually ingratiated themselves to the humans. Over time, the less aggressive dogs would have been favored by the soft-hearted humans, leading to the gradual domestication of wolves (via ASPCA).

A key thing to understand about domestication is that it was good for both species involved. Wolves got a few easy meals out of the deal, and in return, they may have served as guard dogs warning humans about potential dangers, according to ASPCA.