Why Purebred Dogs Are Sick, Miserable, and Ugly
This week, the Westminster Kennel Club is hosting its popular annual dog show, where canines of all shapes and sizes…
Good Luck Trying to Pronounce the Names of the American Kennel Club's Newest Dog Breeds
The adorable and challengingly named Nederlandse Kooikerhondje and the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen are the first…
Unethical Breeding Is Creating Serious Health Problems for German Shepherds
German Shepherds are among the most popular breeds in the world, but their numbers have started to decline. New…
The Sex Life of an Armadillo Is Even More Depressing Than Yours
Armadillos do not like to hang out. They generally keep to their home range, avoiding each other and eating alone. The…
How the American Kennel Club Decides New Breeds
Described as “energetic, lively, and ready to work,” the Hungarian Pumi has just become the 190th breed recognized by…
The Bread Lab's Mission to Breed The Best New Wheats
The Bread Lab at Washington State University is a collaboration between plant geneticists and master bakers. The goal?…
Zuck Is Having a Baby, But What About That Adorable Dog?
Congratulations have been pouring in ever since Mark Zuckerberg posted (on Facebook, of course) that he and his wife…
Why Breeding Pedigree Dogs Is Just Eugenics By Another Name
Eugenics is the now-defunct (and creepy!) practice of breeding supposedly superior humans to achieve genetic…
Adorable Drawings of Dog Breeds, Grouped By Their Place of Origin
Dog breeds can be a complicated subject, but, for better or worse, humans have been doing it for a long time. Breeds…
The Quest to Resurrect an Extinct Animal Without Cloning
Before there was the cow, there was the auroch, a sinewy beast that roamed Eurasia by the millions. And over thousands…
Panda Breeding Programs Are Way More Successful Than You Realize
Most people think giant pandas are doomed. We've all heard about the disastrous failures in breeding them in captivity,…
Giant Panda Breeding Efforts Have Actually Been Really Successful
Pandas are typically thought of as a lost cause. They're one of the most endangered species on the planet; just 2500…
Does your dog's breed really determine its personality?
Dog enthusiasts will frequently tell you that certain dogs have certain characteristics: Golden Retrievers are…
Dogs that look more like puppies have an evolutionary advantage
In many ways, dogs appear and behave more like wolf puppies than wolf adults. Scientists have theorized that these…
The Nazi breeding program that resurrected an extinct species
An indelible characteristic of fascist ideology is the celebration of a mythic past, an over-the-top nostalgic…
"Ancient" dog breeds? Not so ancient, it turns out.
Some fourteen breeds of dogs are generally considered "ancient," including the samoyed, shar pei, and saluki. But…
How long ago did we finish domesticating horses?
From Black Beauty to My Little Pony: Frienship is Magic, humans have an ongoing love affair with horses (and their…
Once again, pandas prove they have the world's most byzantine mating habits
Pandas, as a species, seem absolutely resolute in their desire not to breed, regardless of how much panda porn we seem…
What Pigeons Teach Us About Convergent Evolution
Picture a pigeon: gray body, iridescent neck feathers, probably pecking away at trash on a city sidewalk. But there are…