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Dogs

A captive wolf greets a stranger in an experiment testing the sociability of dogs and their ancestors

What Makes Fido So Friendly? It Could Be Genetic

Mutations in several genes linked to hypersocial behavior in people may have helped along canine domestication

One wave of domestication or two? The debate rages on.

New Research

New Study Has a Bone to Pick With Dog Domestication Findings

Contrary to past research, a new DNA study suggests fido was only tamed once

Who are you calling fat?

New Research

One in Three American Pets Is Pudgy

Is your kitty curvaceous? It’s not the only one

New Research

Puppy Pics May Add Spark to Struggling Relationships

A new study asked couples to look at photo streams that paired images of their spouses with pictures of pooches

New Research

Dogs Will Sniff Out Stomach Cancer in New Japanese Trial

The nose knows

I can haz a sense of inequity?

New Research

Wolves and Dogs Both Have a Sense of Fairness

But wolves seem to take inequity much more seriously than dogs

The new rule also bans breeds like the Tibetan Mastiff, pictured here.

Trending Today

Chinese City Institutes One-Dog Policy

Officials in Qingdao say they are trying to limit the amount of disturbance caused by an ever-growing pooch population

Trending Today

Abused Animals in Connecticut Get Their Own Legal Advocates

Last week, for the first time, a lawyer testified in court on behalf of abused pit bulls

How Mastiffs Became the World’s Top Dogs

The large, furry dogs of Tibet took an evolutionary shortcut millenia ago

Some studies have shown that humans can learn to track scents like canines.

New Research

In Some Ways, Your Sense of Smell Is Actually Better Than a Dog’s

Human noses are especially attuned to picking up odors in bananas, urine and human blood

New Research

Is Australia’s Dingo-Proof Fence Changing the Ecosystem of the Outback?

A new study says yes, but it’s complicated

Jessica Dawson regularly takes her pup Rocky along to explore New York Art galleries, as shown here at Lost Objects by Allan McCollum at the Mary Boone Gallery.

Cool Finds

An Upcoming Art Exhibition Caters to Canine Critics

Touching (and licking and sniffing) the art is allowed

New Research

Dog Genome Project Reveals Secrets of Canine Family Tree

Researchers have been barking up the same tree for over 20 years

Sandy Maliki

Cool Finds

Dingo Wins Competition for World’s Most Interesting Genome

The desert dingo beat out an explosive beetle, a pit viper and pink pigeon to win a grant to have its genome sequenced

Would these eyes deceive you? New study says yes.

Dogs Use Deception to Get Treats, Study Shows

When a human partner withheld tasty snacks, the dogs got sneaky

New Research

Why Puppies Love Baby Talk

New research shows puppies respond strongly to high-pitched chatter, but most adult dogs could care less

This year's science left us speechless and maybe a tiny bit more knowledgeable.

The Top 9 Baffling, Humbling, Mind-Blowing Science Stories of 2016

From gravity’s song to the evolutionary secrets of dogs, this year unlocked a treasure trove of scientific discovery

"I will never forget that you did this to me."

New Research

Dogs May Possess a Type of Memory Once Considered ‘Uniquely Human’

New research suggests that man’s best friend remembers more than we thought

New Research

Doggonit: Genes That Make Fido Human Friendly Also Linked to Mental Disorders

Dogs’ diversity could make them vulnerable to disorders similar to OCD and autism

Iditarod racer Debbie Moderow enjoys a moment with Crouton, one of 28 Alaskan husky sled dogs she currently trains at the Salty Dog Kennels.

Smithsonian Journeys Travel Quarterly: Alaska

How a Two-Time Iditarod Racer Fell in Love With Dogsledding

Lesson one in mushing class: Don’t let go!

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