A l'UM la science [S04-ep15]: A dog's brain
This week on A l'UM la science, Allowen Evin, a researcher at the Institut des sciences de l'évolution de Montpellier (Isem), talks about the endocranial volume of dogs according to breed and function. The report takes us on a tour of the UM's zoology collection with Audrey Théron. Broadcast every Wednesday on Divergence FM 93.9.
Husky, spaniel, staff, boxer or rather chihuahua, dachshund and poodle, the dog population in France today exceeds 9 million individuals, according to journalist Mylène Bertaux, author of the 2024 Toutoute survey.
In this book, the proud owner of a French bulldog observes and describes the changing place of dogs in our lives and in our cities, even going so far as to talk about a new status: dog parents. And it's true that dog parks are becoming more and more like kindergartens, where it's not uncommon, around 6 p.m., to hear some worrying about their Labrador's digestive or skin problems, while others praise the incredible learning qualities of their Australian Shepherd, probably HPI.
And yet, 15,000 years of cohabitation with humans have had one very clear effect on our Leika, Mabrouk, Snow and Médor: to melt their brains. Since the dog is no longer a wolf, its endocranial volume has been reduced by 20%. A phenomenon observed in all domesticated species compared to their wild relatives.
But is this endocranial volume correlated with other characteristics such as breed function, temperament or greater ability to cooperate with humans, for example? This is what Allowen Evin and Ana Balcarcel, researchers at the Institut des sciences de l'évolution de Montpellier(Isem), wanted to know. They published a study entitled " Breed function and behavior are correlated with endocranial volume in the domestic dog " published in November 2024 in the journal Biology letters, which Allowen Evin tells us about today.
In the second half of the program, we invite you to rediscover the University of Montpellier's zoology collection with museum collections manager Audrey Théron, who takes us on a tour of the long corridors of the Institut de botanique.
At UM la science you've got the program, let's go!
Coproduction: Divergence FM / Université de Montpellier
Animation: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interviews : Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production: Alice Rollet
Listen to the "A l'UM la science" program on Divergence FM 93.9
