Smithsonian research
New Research Reveals Most Dog Breeds Contain Wolf DNA: What This Means for Your Pet
Nov 25, 2025 07:04 am CST
Recent scientific research has discovered that approximately two-thirds of all modern dog breeds contain detectable wolf DNA, challenging previous assumptions about canine evolution. This surprising finding suggests that domesticated dogs and wild wolves have interbred within the past few thousand years, potentially influencing modern dogs' size, sensory abilities, and personality traits. Even small breeds like Chihuahuas carry wolf genetic material, while certain breeds such as Czechoslovakian and Saarloos wolfdogs contain up to 40% wolf ancestry. The comprehensive study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides new insights into how wolves and dogs have shared genetic material throughout domestication history.
Ostrich, Emu Ancestors Could Fly, Scientists Discover
Sep 18, 2025 01:16 am CST
It may sound like a joke, but scientists have long been puzzled by how the family of birds that includes African ostriches, Australian emus and cassowaries, New Zealand kiwis and South American rheas spread across the world -- given that none of them