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Dogs succeed while chimps fail at following finger pointing

Dogs are better than chimps at interpreting pointing gestures, according to a study published in the online journal PLoS ONE.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 3.5 / 5 (2) | comments 4

New therapy combination prolongs survival in dogs with lymphoma

A new immunotherapy for companion dogs with advanced-stage non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has been shown to improve survival while maintaining quality of life, according to a study published in the journal Scientific Reports. The st ...

Medicine & Health / Cancer

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Gene related to fat preferences in humans found

A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene.

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Feb 03, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Golden retrievers help scientists track human disease genes

A team of EU-funded researchers has successfully identified a gene that triggers a skin disorder in dogs - and the findings could have implications for humans who also suffer from the condition. Whether it ...

Medicine & Health / Genetics

created Jan 31, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Survey of pet dogs indicates Lyme disease risk much greater than previous estimates suggest

Ticks infected with the bacteria that cause Lyme disease may be considerably more prevalent in the UK than expected, according to new research from the University of Bristol that used pet dogs as ‘sentinels’ for ...

Medicine & Health / Diseases

created Jan 25, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Wild dogs didn't go extinct in east Africa after all

In 1991, conservationists announced with dismay that endangered African wild dogs had gone extinct from the Serengeti-Mara region of east Africa. Now the latest genetic study reveals that this proclamation ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 23, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 3 | with audio podcast

Older is better for hunting dogs

(PhysOrg.com) -- Older dogs and male dogs are better hunting companions than younger dogs and female dogs says the author of a new study on the hunting ability and nutritional status of domestic dogs in lowland ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 18, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

How dogs can walk on ice without freezing their paws

Scientists in Japan have solved a long-standing veterinary mystery: how dogs can stand and walk for so long on snow and ice without apparent discomfort, and without freezing their paws.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 13, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (34) | comments 39 | with audio podcast report

Dogs read our intent too: study

Dogs pick up not only on the words we say but also on our intent to communicate with them, according to a report published online in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on January 5.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Jan 05, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (6) | comments 12 | with audio podcast

Modern dogs are more Asian fusions than Euro pups, study finds

(PhysOrg.com) -- Don't close the book on Fido’s genealogy just yet: A new study led by University of California, Davis, wildlife genetics researchers provides a surprising glimpse into the global heritage ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 20, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Shedding light on why it is so 'tough' to make healthier hot dogs

In part of an effort to replace animal fat in hot dogs, sausages, hamburgers and other foods with healthier fat, scientists are reporting an advance in solving the mystery of why hot dogs develop an unpleasant tough texture ...

Chemistry / Other

created Dec 07, 2011 | popularity 4 / 5 (3) | comments 5

Dogs of war: Historian shows the role of canines in World War II

Seventy years since the United States entered World War II after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, a BYU historian has a new look at an often overlooked breed of soldier.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Dec 05, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Going to the dogs: University's newest patent for improving canine health

Make no bones about it, a discovery by a Kansas State University research team could mean a longer and healthier life for man's best friend.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 29, 2011 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Genetic study confirms: First dogs came from East Asia

Researchers at Sweden's KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today's domesticated dogs can be traced to southern East Asia -- findings that run counter to theories ...

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 23, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Dogs chasing their tails on YouTube could be a sign of welfare issues and pathological conditions

(PhysOrg.com) -- The assumption that tail-chasing is normal behaviour in dogs could be leading to welfare issues being left untreated according to new research from The Royal Veterinary College, London.

Biology / Plants & Animals

created Nov 10, 2011 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

Dog

The dog (Canis lupus familiaris, pronounced /ˈkeɪ.nis ˈluːpəs fʌˈmɪliɛəris/) is a domesticated subspecies of the Gray Wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The domestic dog has been one of the most widely kept working and companion animals in human history. Amongst canine enthusiasts, the word "dog" may also mean the male of a canine species, as opposed to the word "bitch."

The dog quickly became ubiquitous across culture in all parts of the world, and was extremely valuable to early human settlements. For instance, it is believed that the successful emigration across the Bering Strait might not have been possible without sled dogs. Dogs perform many roles for people, such as hunting, herding, protection, and, more recently, assisting handicapped individuals. Currently, there are estimated to be 400 million dogs in the world.

Over the 15,000 year span that the dog had been domesticated, it diverged into only a handful of landraces, groups of similar animals whose morphology and behavior have been shaped by environmental factors and functional roles. As the modern understanding of genetics developed, humans began to intentionally breed dogs for a wide range of specific traits. Through this process, the dog has developed into hundreds of varied breeds, and shows more behavioral and morphological variation than any other land mammal. For example, height measured to the withers ranges from a few inches in the Chihuahua to a few feet in the Irish Wolfhound; color varies from white through grays (usually called "blue'") to black, and browns from light (tan) to dark ("red" or "chocolate") in a wide variation of patterns; coats can be short or long, coarse-haired to wool-like, straight, curly, or smooth. It is common for most breeds to shed this coat, but non-shedding breeds are also popular.

For more information about Dog, read the full article at Wikipedia.
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