05/15/2009

The Modern Dog

Great Dane and chihuahua, from Shutterstock
Great Dane and chihuahua, from Shutterstock

Can you decode meaning from listening to your dog’s barks and whines? In this hour of Science Friday we’re going to the dogs, from how they communicate with us, to how they’ve evolved along with our technology. We’ll also talk about dog genetics and evolution. How can a single species contain breeds as different as great Danes and chihuahuas?

Segment Guests

Stanley Coren

Stanley Coren is the author of “The Modern Dog: A Joyful Exploration of How We Live with Dogs Today” (Free Press, 2008) and a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Matthew Breen

Matthew Breen is a professor of genomics in the Department of Molecular Biomedical Sciences at North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Eyal Zehavi

Eyal Zehavi is the founder and CEO of Bio-Sense Technologies in Petah Tikva, Israel.

Meet the Producer

About Christopher Intagliata

Christopher Intagliata was Science Friday’s senior producer. He once served as a prop in an optical illusion and speaks passable Ira Flatowese.

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