This is not about the human-animal relationship which is the prime topic of this website but about the human-animal and our evolution from the great apes. Scientists at a number of institutions and universities – primarily Texas University and Columbia – have identified the genetic changes which took place during our evolution from apes to …
This is quite a provocative story for some people. For me it is just fine because I am a great believer in equality and inclusivity although I don’t agree with all that is going on in the woke movement. This story is about scientific research which may allow, for example, a couple of gay men …
The dog population is made up of purebred and random bred dogs and hybrids. I don’t know the exact breakdown as it is unclear but there are far more purebred dogs than there are purebred cats as a percentage of the whole. And research indicates that amongst a group of 68 purebred dogs some of …
Wolves howl, dogs howl less and some dog breeds hardly howl at all Read More »
This experiment which has been reported on the biorxiv.org website and which is yet to be peer-reviewed, is very exciting because on my estimation using the data provided by The Times newspaper, it concerns a drug which may extend life by about 7% in humans and make the elderly less frail. How did I work …
A drug that extended life by 7% in mice (infographic) Read More »
There has been a lot of discussion on this topic over the years as it is a fundamental question and I believe that it is still an ongoing discussion. However, we have the benefit of a new study published in the journal Nature a few weeks ago. That is about as current as you can …
The dog is the non-human species for which the largest number of genetic disorders is known and as at 2002 (20 years ago) over 370 genetic diseases had been documented (Ostrander et al 2000). These diseases have been catalogued and they are searchable on a web-based database, “Inherited Diseases in Dogs”. If you are a …
The experts are going to clone the Tasmanian tiger (Thylacine). They are convinced that they can do it using Crispr gene-editing. In layperson’s terms and employing a very general description; firstly, they’re going to produce the complete genetic code for the Tasmanian tiger. Then they are going to use what genetic material that they have …
Tasmanian tiger can be cloned but not its behaviour Read More »
It seems that the refinement of the racehorse through selective breeding has reached a ceiling because they are not getting any quicker. In fact, many of today’s records are 50 years old. For example, the great Classic race, the Derby, was run in record time in 1926. The horse, Coronach, who set the record managed …
NEWS AND COMMENT: It has been decided, late in the day, that trophy hunting on the African continent is threatening the gene pool of these iconic species which trophy hunters so love to shoot dead. The reason is this: they have to select the biggest animals to kill. And when you do that, you take …
This cute dog has inherited the inability to bark. It is not a medical condition to the best of my knowledge. The dog is not unwell. It is just that it is an inherited defect from the dog’s perspective but it might be a distinct positive from the human’s perspective. A lot of people would …
In a study, scientists have found that puppies are born with an innate ability to socially interact with humans without training, and even if they have had almost no interaction with people before. 375 eight-week-old dogs participated in a University of Arizona study in which they demonstrated the ability to understand when a human is …
Puppies are born with an innate capacity to interact socially with humans Read More »
People ask whether there are albino owls and as you can see albino owls do exist. In my opinion, a white owl is not an albino owl physiologically. They’re both white but the cause of the whiteness is different i.e. the genetic causes are different. This owl is albino because the bird carries an autosomal …
I was reading a story on the website The Globe and Mail written by a reader of the website. She had adopted a rescue dog. She wanted to adopt a confident, non-anxious dog. She found herself with a dog who appears to be almost permanently anxious which dramatically affects his behaviour (and the behaviour of …
