Discusses the enigma of the dog's very early evolutionary divergence from the wolf, and the development of cognitive skills and social constructions which allowed the dog to find the perfect survival niche in a symbiotic bond with humans.
Formerly Washington editor of the journal Nature, Stephen Budiansky is a senior writer at US News & World Report, where he writes about science, the environment and current affairs. He lives with his wife and two children on a small farm in Virginia.