Generate an explanation for the given claim using the provided supporting material from the paragraph. Please consider the following points while generating an output. 1) The claim will always have supporting proof in the paragraph, and the paragraph will have a clear point of view supporting the claim. 2) There can be instances where direct correlation to the claim is not available. Make use of the sentences in the paragraph to provide a corresponding output supporting the claim. 3) The explanation should be at least one and at most twelve sentences long.
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Question: Paragraph: The idea that the domestic dog descended from the grey wolf was originally established in 1993 using comparisons of wolf and dog mitochondrial DNA. This investigation showed that no other living animal was more closely related to the domestic dog than the grey wolf: "The domestic dog is an extremely close relative of the grey wolf, differing from it by at most 0.2% of [mitochondrial DNA]." Mitochondrial DNA is passed down by the mother (without any genetic contribution from the father) and changes only through random mutations that occur from generation to generation. Scientists use this much smaller and separate DNA sequence to estimate when populations of animals first diverged and to estimate the evolutionary relationships between organisms. By the mid-2000s, new technology allowed scientists to map the much longer DNA sequence found on the chromosomes of wolves and dogs the genes that actually code for physical traits and behaviors. These studies demonstrated a 99.9% similarity (technically 99.96%) between dog and grey wolf, as covered in a 2007 review paper on the topic: In general, the domestic dog is an extremely close relative of the grey wolf, from which it differs by only ~0.04% in nuclear coding-DNA sequence, and no dog [mitochondrial DNA] sequences have been found that show closer kinship to other canid species. This similarity is so profound that hybridization often occurs between dogs and wolves. By the biological definition of species, this would mean that the domestic dog is a subspecies of the grey wolf (canis lupus familiaris). There remains some debate, however, as to what the appropriate classification for the domestic dog would be, with some arguing that the domestic dog should be its own distinct species (canis familiaris). Claim: Dogs and wolves are genetically 99.9% identical.

Answer: These advances in genetic analysis have allowed scientists as well to pin down the probable timing of the split between these two canid lineages. A study published in 2015, which compared the whole genome sequence of dogs to a 35,000 year old Siberian wolf specimen, suggested the split likely occurred between 27,000 and 40,000 years ago, and that domestic dogs are likely themselves the descendants of a now extinct descendant of grey wolves.

Question: Paragraph: A day after Australia recorded its hottest day on record, thick smoke blanketed the harbor city, shrouded the Opera House and brought many outdoor activities to a halt. The state of emergency declaration gave firefighters broad powers to control government resources, force evacuations, close roads and shut down utilities across New South Wales, which is home to more than 7 million people. Authorities said nearly 120 fires remained ablaze by late afternoon, more than half of which are uncontrolled, and with temperatures forecast to top 45 degrees Celsius (113F) in some areas, officials warned residents to be on high alert. "The firefront has been spreading very quickly and intensely," NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons told reporters in Sydney, adding that two firefighters had been airlifted to hospital with burns to their faces and airways. "It's still a very difficult and dangerous set of circumstances." Days out from Christmas, a time when many Australians head to the coast for the holidays, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian advised people to make sure "you are prepared to change your plans should circumstances change." In Shoalhaven, a popular coastal destination some 190 km (120 miles) south of Sydney, local mayor Amanda Findley said people were poised to evacuate. "There is a large amount of smoke looming over the city, which shows how close the fire is," Findley told Reuters by telephone. "It is extremely hot and windy now so we are all worried the fire could spread. People are really worried that they may lose everything." The RFS posted footage on its official Twitter account showing firefighters tackling one of the three blazes ringing Sydney. A waterbomber aircraft was dwarfed by thick grey and black billowing cloud as it attempted to douse flames in bushland just meters away from homes. Australia has been battling wildfires across much of its east coast for weeks, leaving six people dead, more than 680 homes destroyed and nearly 3 million acres (1.2 million hectares) of bushland burnt. Berejiklian said as many as 40 homes had been destroyed on Thursday. Australia on Wednesday broke all-time heat records for the second day running, with maximum temperatures reaching an average of 41.9 degree Celsius, the Bureau of Meteorology said. Some 1,700 firefighters have been deployed across NSW, but officials warned that was still not enough to cover every potential danger and urged people in high risk areas to evacuate while it was still safe to do so. The current state of emergency will last for seven days, while a total fire ban that has been in place since Tuesday will remain until midnight on Saturday. The major fires around Sydney, which is home to more than 5 million people, have resulted in days of heavy pollution in the city usually known for its sparkling harbor and blue skies. One megafire in the Kanangra Boyd National Park to the city's southwest had crept to the very outskirts of Campbelltown, a suburb of 157,000 people. By late afternoon, Sydney was sitting at No.4 on the IQAir AirVisual live rankings of pollution in global cities, above Dhaka, Mumbai, Shanghai and Jakarta. Many commuters have donned breathing masks in recent weeks as air quality has plunged to hazardous levels not previously seen in the city. NSW Ambulance Commissioner Dominic Morgan said the service had experienced a 10% surge in call-outs for patients suffering respiratory conditions over the past week and urged susceptible people to remain indoors and keep their medication close. Prime Minister Scott Morrison has weathered a storm of criticism on social media in recent days for going on an overseas holiday during the emergency, adding to criticism that his government is failing to deliver adequate climate change policies. As local media reported Morrison was in Hawaii on a family holiday, about 500 protesters gathered outside his official Sydney residence to demand urgent action on climate change. Morrison's office refused to confirm his whereabouts. One protestor, wearing an Hawaiian shirt, carried a sign reading, "ScoMo, where the bloody hell are you?" referencing the leader's nickname and a decade-old international advertisement for Tourism Australia that was banned in several countries because the language was deemed offensive. Australia's low-lying Pacific neighbors have been particularly critical of the coal-rich nation's climate policies following modest progress at the U.N. climate talks in Madrid. "It was particularly disappointing to see our Pacific cousins in Australia actively standing in the way of progress at a time when we have been watching in horror as their own country is ablaze," Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine said in a statement on Wednesday. Claim: Ring of fire: Australian state declares emergency as wildfires approach Sydney.

Answer: Australia's most populous state declared its second emergency in as many months on Thursday as extreme heat and strong winds stoked more than 100 bushfires, including three major blazes on Sydney's doorstep.

Question: Paragraph: Maryland lawmakers, state officials and union members gathered in Annapolis to address the shortage during a joint hearing before the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee and the House Appropriations Committee. Hogan Administration officials said during the hearing that they are aware of the safety concerns and are working to address them, along with the shortage. Jason Kramer, policy analyst with Legislative Services, said during the hearing that the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services alone had a need for more than 1,000 employees, while agencies like the Department of Juvenile Services and Department of Health were short more than 200 positions each, according to the study. Delegate Marc Korman, D-Montgomery, noted during the hearing that recent safety incidents "triggered" the meeting Tuesday morning, which also included testimony from members of Maryland's American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees a public employee trade union. The members, donning green union shirts, filled the seats in the hearing room. In a news conference held shortly before the hearing, Patrick Moran the president of the union spoke of what he described as "systematic underfunding and delays" in filling vacancies. He said the union is demanding "immediate action," but also noted that the members present in Annapolis had "no confidence" in Gov. Larry Hogan as an employer. Mike Ricci, a spokesman for Hogan, said in a written statement that once the union, "agrees to the ground rules that require them to bargain in good faith rules that other unions have agreed to year after year our administration is ready and willing to move forward with negotiations." Delegate Shelly Hettleman, D-Baltimore County, attended the news conference and said that state employees are "underpaid and overworked," and the staffing shortages are "putting people in danger." Jeremy Jeffers, a resident adviser with the Department of Juvenile Services, testified during the hearing and said he has personally dealt with the "dangers" of understaffing, noting that he has been assaulted "multiple times," suffered six concussions and even lost part of his finger during an incident. "I would challenge anyone to come and spend a shift," Jeffers said. Ikeia Cornish, a direct care assistant at Eastern Shore Hospital Center, also testified and said one of her coworkers was "blindsided" and beaten by one of the patients. She referred to staffing shortages as a "crisis," which leads to "more staff and patient injuries" and an "unsecure environment" Representatives from the Hogan Administration also testified during the hearing and addressed what is being done to alleviate the staffing problem. David Brinkley, secretary of the Department of Budget and Management, said the administration takes the staffing shortage issue "very seriously" and is focused on "hard-to-fill" positions like correctional officers. Nick Pepersack, Brinkley's deputy chief of staff, later confirmed to Capital News Service that those employees received a nearly 10% salary increase between January and July of this year. Total salary enhancements in the last and current fiscal years, Pepersack said, amounted to approximately $467 million for employees statewide. Robert Neall, secretary of the Department of Health, said there is now an "increase in emphasis" on reporting all incidents at state hospitals and he looks "forward to reporting more progress" in January. Delegate Kirill Reznik, D-Montgomery, addressed Neall during the hearing and said while he has "no doubt" that the secretary is trying, "we have been here before." "Ever year we hear, 'these are all the things we are doing' . and every year, we come back here," Reznik said. Pressed by Reznik on where the department will be in terms of vacancies next year, Neall repeated that he expects "significant" progress, but could not answer the question "with specificity." Sen. Andrew Serafini, R-Washington, told Capital News Service after the hearing that with regard to the safety incidents, "we have a more violent community in general." "It's not that we don't care" about state employees, Serafini said, adding that the characterization to the contrary is "problematic." ___ This story was produced by the University of Maryland's Capital News Service. Claim: MD lawmakers, officials, union meet on staffing shortages.

Answer:
State union employees told lawmakers Tuesday they are concerned that staff shortages of about 2,600, according to a 2018 study are causing safety issues, including some injuries, for employees at certain agencies.