I can’t even come-up with an opener for this one– maybe my title is good enough?
As part of an ambitious effort to identify genes that cause disease in dogs and humans, scientists at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle analyzed DNA collected from 414 dogs representing 85 breeds, including some of the most popular. The findings have sent reverberations though the ranks of dog fanciers, who primp and preen their beloved companions for shows and take great pride in their pedigrees.
“It was a surprise to find that some breeds such as the Ibizan hound and the Pharaoh hound, along with several others that dog aficionados have long believed dated back thousands of years, are actually much more modern animals – re-creations that were probably produced by breeders,” said geneticist Leonid Kruglyak, who helped conduct the research. “However, it was more of a surprise to find that some breeds are not even dogs.”
Among other findings, the analysis determined that the Chihuahua is actually a type of large rodent, selectively bred for centuries to resemble a canine.
Wow! Read the article for more details about what they found out about other small breed dogs.
Um… and the Yorkshire Terrier comes from a pidgeon??
Right.
Or “pigeon” if you prefer.
Now, where is that notorious research article?? So far, it’s all hearsay.
Now, where is that notorious research article?? So far, it’s all hearsay.
Now, where is that notorious research article?? So far, it’s all hearsay.
Thanks for all 3 insightful comments, AK.
I just did a simple search for it on Google, and came-up with this:
http://www.fhcrc.org/science/dog_genome/
Hearsay no more.