An analysis that combined behavioural data from 46,000 dogs with DNA sequences from 4,000 dogs has pinpointed genetic variants linked to their characteristic behaviours, such as nervousness or aggression (E. V. Dutrow et al. Cell 185, 4737'4755; 2022). To trace the genetic origins of behavioural traits, researchers scrapped the conventional breed categories ' which had been found to be a poor predictor for behaviour ' and sorted dogs into ten genetic lineages. An analysis of DNA sequences associated with different behaviours identified a number of variants linked with the development of the nervous system. Herding sheepdogs, for example, had genes that, in mice, are associated with mothers' instincts to protect their pups. NASA's Orion capsule splashed down safely off the coast of Mexico on 11 December, bringing a close to the first test flight of a new spaceship designed to carry people back to the Moon. Researchers are excited to download data from the successful 25-day flight to...
learn more
