In 1925, a handsome male sled dog named Balto led a 13-dog team that braved blizzard conditions during the grueling final 53-mile (85-km) leg of a 674-mile (1,088-km) dogsled relay, bringing lifesaving medicine to the Alaskan city of Nome during a diphtheria outbreak.
Balto was feted as a hero, the subject of books and movies, and the dog's taxidermy mount still stands on display at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. But that was not the end of Balto's magnificent deeds. Scientists have extracted DNA from a piece of Balto's underbelly skin from the well-preserved museum mount and sequenced the dog's genome as part of an ambitious comparative mammalian genomic research project called Zoonomia.
"Balto personifies the strength of the bond between human and dog, and what that bond is capable of," said Katie Moon, a postdoctoral paleogenomics researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and co-lead author of the study published in the journal"Dogs not only offer comfort, support and friendship to humans, but many are actively bred or trained to provide vital services.
The researchers examined Balto's genome as part of a dataset of 682 genomes from modern dogs and wolves and a larger assemblage of 240 mammalian genomes, including humans. Born in 1919, Balto was part of a population of sled dogs imported from Siberia, dubbed Siberian huskies - though the study showed that these dogs differed substantially from modern Siberian huskies. Balto had a body built for strength and not speed, disappointing the breeder, who had the dog neutered.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Former Alaska legislator sues Alaska Airlines over mask-related banA former Alaska legislator who was banned from flying on Alaska Airlines for refusing to comply with coronavirus masking policies is now suing the airline and more than a dozen of its employees. Via AKpublicnews
Les mer »
The Lifesaving Sled Dog Balto Had Genes unlike Those of Dog Breeds TodayThe genome of the 1920s Siberian husky Balto suggests that greater genetic diversity and less inbreeding contribute to better health
Les mer »
Scientists Sequence Genome of Famous Good Boy Balto the Sled DogThe Siberian husky Balto saved a town from a diphtheria outbreak. Now he's helping reveal the genetics of working dogs, 90 years after his death.
Les mer »
A genome project cracks mysteries of evolution — and Balto the superdogAn international collaboration called the Zoonomia Project analyzed the genomes of 240 mammals, offering insights into evolution, extinction, the human brain and a famous, life-saving sled dog.
Les mer »
Balto's genome reveals famed sledge dog was a muttCelebrated for leading his musher and team across Alaska's interior to deliver medication to sick children in 1925, Balto's genome suggests he had a varied ancestry and gene mutations linked to heightened endurance
Les mer »
Moose roams into a movie theater in Alaska, stealing the show and popcorn'NOT YOUR AVERAGE TRIP TO THE MOVIES' Moose roams into a movie theater in search of food and surprisingly the worker was super chill about it. FULL VIDEO:
Les mer »