Who doesn't like Golden Retrievers? Gentle, friendly and confident, these dogs make great family pets, patient and playful with children. But have you ever wondered what makes a Golden Retriever a Golden Retriever?
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
Who doesn't like Golden Retrievers? Gentle, friendly and confident, these dogs make great family pets, patient and playful with children. But have you ever wondered what makes a Golden Retriever a Golden Retriever? And above all so attractive and irresistible?
The Huffington Post did, who interviewed veterinarian Jessica Perry Hekman, who is engaged in genomic research at the University of Illinois.
“Genetics. They are all genetically similar. This makes them appear similar - and, to some extent, it also makes them act similar, ”explains the expert. But how genetically different is a Golden Retriever and, say, a Chihuahua? And how different are these dogs from a wolf?
"It is a surprisingly complicated question. At the DNA level - replies Dr. Perry Hekman - that is the long string of characters that make up the genetic code, dogs are very similar to each other (over 99 percent) and very similar to wolves (even over 99 percent ). Dogs and wolves are actually considered to be the same species. But, of course, there are some real differences, not just those that are reflected in the big changes in the DNA that codes for them. "
Genetics experts are currently working in this direction. The goal is understand how very small changes in the genetic code can lead to significant changes in individuals (in dogs, humans and other species). Some recent and interesting studies they found that some genes are responsible for small body sizes in dogs.
As for the behavior, however, it is much more complicated than the size of the body, since there are many things that affect it. “There is an interesting new study which suggests that the actions of a chemical called glutamate in the brain have effects on behavior, and found a genetic basis for some of these differences“, Concludes the doctor.
That's why today it is possible to predict what each Golden Retriever will look like, but not quite how it will behave. But maybe in the future it won't be like this ...
Roberta Ragni
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