Science at UM [S04-ep15]: A brain with bite
This week on A l’UM la science, Allowen Evin, a researcher at the Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier ( ISEM), talks to us about the endocranial volume of dogs according to their breed and function. The report takes us on a tour of the UM's zoology collection with Audrey Théron. The program is broadcast every Wednesday on Divergence FM 93.9.
Husky, spaniel, Staffordshire bull terrier, boxer, or perhaps Chihuahua, dachshund, and poodle—according to journalist Mylène Bertaux, author of the 2024 Toutoute survey, the canine population in France now exceeds 9 million.
In this book, the happy owner of a French bulldog observes and describes the changing role of dogs in our lives and 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 people worrying about their Labrador's digestive or skin problems, while others praise the incredible learning abilities of their Australian Shepherd, who is probably gifted.
And yet, 15,000 years of cohabitation with humans has had a very clear effect on our Leika, Mabrouk, Snow, and other Fido's, that of shrinking their brains. Since dogs are no longer wolves, their intracranial volume has been reduced by 20%. This phenomenon can be 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 Institute of Evolutionary Sciences in Montpellier (ISEM), wanted to find out. They published a study entitled "Breed function and behavior are correlated with endocranial volume in domestic dogs" in November 2024 in the journal Biology Letters, which Allowen Evin discusses with us today.
In the second part of the program, we invite you to rediscover the zoology collection at the University of Montpellier with Audrey Théron, museum collection curator, who takes us on a tour of the long corridors of the Institute of Botany.
At UM Science, you have the program, so let's get started!
Co-production: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Host: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Lucie Lecherbonnier / Aline Périault
Reporting and editing: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production: Alice Rollet
Listen to the program “A l’UM la science” on Divergence FM 93.9
