Asexual reproduction is ultimately unsustainable for mice, and potentially other mammals, too. The clones looked normal and lived as long as normal mice. But large mutations - including the loss of an entire chromosome - accumulated in the cloned lineage at an unusually high rate.
The first study analyzes canid remains from two sites: Pnarbas, on the Central Anatolian Plateau, and Gough's Cave, in Somerset, UK. The fragments from Pnarbas are extraordinarily small, but the team still managed to extract enough nuclear DNA to confirm that they were domestic dogs and not wolves.
Cats, along with dogs, are the animals that spend the most time with humans. They share spaces, routines, and even illnesses. They are exposed to almost all the same environmental stressors that induce tumors in people. However, unlike what happens with dogs, cancer research in felines is very limited. Now, a huge study published in Science, using hundreds of tumor samples, has obtained the most complete oncogenome of the domestic cat.
Careful kinematic research, such as that done by a Japanese team headed by Naomi Wada, has determined that the dog's tail was designed to assist the dog with balance. When a dog is running and turns quickly, he throws the front part of his body in the direction he wants to go. This causes his back to bend; however, the forward velocity is such that his hindquarters will tend to continue in the original direction.
Remember that moment at the dog park when you see two golden retrievers, with one bouncing around with bright eyes and a glossy coat, and the other just going through the motions with a dull expression despite being perfectly groomed? Both dogs are clearly loved and cared for, but something deeper separates them: It's the difference between a dog that's genuinely flourishing and one that's simply being maintained.
Dog ownership has increased dramatically in many western countries. For example, in the UK there has been an increase from around 8.3 million in 2011 to 13.5 million in 2025. That means that approximately 29% of UK adults own a dog! At least partially this increasing trend of owning a dog is linked to millennials being more likely to have children later in life.
