Study sheds light on breed evolution and why certain types of dog are prone to the same diseases despite appearing to be very differentIt sounds like the ultimate shaggy dog story, but scientists say they have created the definitive canine family tree. “We now have a great way to study and to understand how various disease mutations have migrated around dog breeds,” she added. While, unsurprisingly, dogs of the same breed were found to be extremely closely related, the analysis also shed light on the relationships between different breeds. Of the 161 breeds studied, 150 clustered into just 23 different groups. The team also looked at which breeds in different groups share particular patterns in their DNA, shedding further light on breed evolution.

Source: The Guardian April 25, 2017 16:07 UTC