Alex Austin', the author of "Nakamura Reality," called 'humans, Dogs, and Civilization" "An enthralling blend of science and anecdote". Thirty-two illustrated chapters recount the latest cutting-edge science about dogs, as well as true stories about actual dogs. The book is partly a memoir, a scientific work, and an "engaging" narrative. Kirkus Reviews called it "persuasive and engaging...a must read for anyone interested in the long history of dogs and people. The book shows that dogs are not directly descended from wolves, that early humans didn't tame wolves to be dogs, that dogs partnered with Stone Age hunters of their own volition, and that dogs co-evolved with people. In fact, both dogs and humans have special receptors in their brains to allow them to communicate with each other. The human brain has shrunk 10% since dogs domesticated themselves. That's because we relied on the dog's superior senses of vision and scent, so that our brains no longer had to have space for such senses. Instead, the human brain became fashioned for complex speech, thought, and the arts. Since dogs became companions for humans, Homo Sapiens has become Homo sapiens sapiens. That is, our own species has become more intelligent, although more deprived of acute senses. The book shows that civilization could never have been built by humans until dogs provided enough food through herding so that people no longer had to be nomads following herds of prey animals. There would be no Beethoven, Rock 'n Roll, Rembrandt, opera,. symphonies, or scientists if dogs hadn't taken care of early humans.
