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November 22, 2008 11:08:22 CST

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Dog Breeders Deploy DNA Tests

Posted Jun 12, 07 8:11 CDT in Science & Health 

(Newser) – With the first map of a dog genome recently completed, scientists are hot on the trail of  genes for individual canine traits from coat color to cocking their heads in a cutesy way—and dog breeders are right behind them. Without any of the inhibitions attached to eugenics in humans, they're snapping up genetic tests to improve their breeds.

“We’re on the verge of a real radical shift in the way we apply genetics in our society,” a  veterinary geneticist tells the the New York Times. “It’s better to be first confronted with some of these issues when they concern our pets than when they concern us.”

Source New York Times

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