“We’re not dissimilar to any other wild primate. We’re manipulating our environments, but not on a scale bigger than, say, a herd of African elephants. And then, we go into partnership with this group of wolves. They altered our relationship with the natural world.” While cats dominate the Internet, dogs were the first animals to be domesticated and dramatically changed the course of human history. In The Atlantic, Ed Yong takes us back tens of thousands of years to get a better understanding of our unlikely partnership with the grey wolf: A New Origin Story for Dogs. Cats go viral by cutely pawing at a piece of yarn or opening five doors. Dogs try to go viral with an academic piece about their domestication. Case closed.

+ Between cryonics and cloning, your pet can live forever. Sort of. From Ringer: Pets, No Cemetery.