Those early studies “highlighted the potential for what we could learn from dogs, but also the fact that we would need larger sample sizes to do that,” said Elinor Karlsson, a geneticist at UMass Chan School of Medicine and the Broad Institute. So researchers began creating large citizen science projects, seeking DNA samples and data from dogs across the United States.
Pet owners have risen to the challenge. THE Golden Retriever Lifespan Studywhich began recruiting in 2012, has followed more than 3,000 dogs with the aim of identifying genetic and environmental risk factors for cancer, which is particularly common in this breed. Since 2019, the Dog Aging Projecta long-term study on health and longevity, recruited nearly 50,000 dogs.
Dr. Karlsson’s own project, Darwin’s Dogsis at 44,000 dogs and counting. (Some 4,000 individuals have had their genome sequenced.) Researchers are mining the data for clues about bone cancer, compulsive behaviors and other traits. Among the first discoveries: Although many behavioral traits, such as sociability and trainability, are hereditary, they are widely distributed in the canine kingdom, and race is a poor predictor of a dog’s personality.
This spring, Dr. Karlsson unveiled a much-anticipated expansion: Darwin’s Cats“I love cats, I never had a dog,” she said. Later, in an email, she added: “I would like to know if the fact that the cat sleeps on your head is influenced by genetics. »
Data Drivers
These projects were made possible by faster and more affordable genome sequencing. But the “immense enthusiasm” of pet owners was crucial, said Dr. Ostrander, who now heads the Dog10K Project, an effort build a comprehensive global catalog of canine genetic diversity.
