Monthly Archives: July 2017

YHS cat adoption photos from Friday

29 Saturday Jul 2017

Posted by in cats

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

,

I photographed 4 cats for adoption at the Yavapai Humane Society on Friday. Sweetie is Lois’ mother. Volunteer Jhane wrote this nice biography for Lois:

Hi there, I’m Lois, a pretty cat with a coat of many colors. I’m real affectionate and love getting attention. I’m mellow and enjoy sitting on laps. Not long ago, my owner passed away, and a nice friend of theirs took me in along with my mother Sweetie. Unfortunately, this family already had a lot of pets, so Sweetie and I are here to find a new forever home. We are very close, and really need to be together to feel safe. We are both good with people and would be fine with little kids, too. Please consider adopting us together.

If any of my readers are interested in these cats, contact YHS (928) 445-2666 You can adopt both for a single adoption fee.

Lois

Sweetie

Cleocatra

Kelly (who is telling me that she is done posing)

Advertisement

Possible DNA clue why dogs are so friendly

26 Wednesday Jul 2017

Posted by in Dogs

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

link: https://www.insidescience.org/news/rare-human-syndrome-may-explain-why-dogs-are-so-friendly

Williams syndrome, also known as Williams-Beuren syndrome, occurs when people are missing of a chunk of DNA containing about 27 genes. The syndrome affects about one in 10,000 people, and it is associated with a suite of mental and physical traits, including bubbly, extroverted personalities, a broad forehead, full cheeks, heart defects, intellectual disability and an affinity for music.

The first hint of a link between dogs and Williams syndrome came in 2010, when evolutionary biologist Bridgett vonHoldt and her colleagues examined DNA from 225 wolves and 912 dogs from 85 breeds. They were looking for parts of the genome that have been shaped by selection since dogs diverged from wolves.

One gene that popped out was WBSCR17, suggesting that it or other genes near it were important in dog evolution. This region of the genome is similar in dogs and humans, and the human version of WBSCR17 is located near the sequence that is deleted in people with Williams syndrome.