Monique
May24-04, 07:01 AM
Science News Online (http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040522/fob4.asp)
The new study is the latest spin—off from efforts to use man's best friend to investigate human health. Over the past few centuries, dog owners have created hundreds of breeds with strikingly different temperaments and physical characteristics. This inbreeding, however, has generated many breed-specific problems, such as deafness and osteoporosis, that also afflict people.
By comparing closely related breeds that differ in their prevalence of diseases, researchers are now tracking down genes responsible for many illnesses.
[continued..] (http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040522/fob4.asp)
The new study is the latest spin—off from efforts to use man's best friend to investigate human health. Over the past few centuries, dog owners have created hundreds of breeds with strikingly different temperaments and physical characteristics. This inbreeding, however, has generated many breed-specific problems, such as deafness and osteoporosis, that also afflict people.
By comparing closely related breeds that differ in their prevalence of diseases, researchers are now tracking down genes responsible for many illnesses.
[continued..] (http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20040522/fob4.asp)