評論
打印
Who do you think your pet is? Learning from Your Dog's DNA
你認為你的寵物是誰？狗狗DNA中的發現
A simple cheek swab can reveal your dog's ancestry, provide insight into its health— and even help explain its behavior
擦一下狗的臉就可以揭示它的祖先，了解它的身體狀況，甚至幫助解釋它的行為
Nikki Trost, an accountant from Minneapolis, was worried about her dog Bear, who suffered from mysterious fainting spells.
來自明尼阿波利斯的會計尼基·特羅斯特(Nikki Trost)很擔心她的狗，貝爾，因為它經常莫名其妙地昏過去。
Trost had Bear checked out by a vet, but it was not until she ordered a DNA test that she learned her dog had a genetic mutation for something called exercise-induced collapse.
特羅斯特曾帶貝爾去獸醫那里檢查過，但直到她進行了DNA測試，她才知道她的狗帶有一種叫運動誘發崩潰的基因突變。
"We still take her to the dog park," says Trost. "We just make sure she isn't doing anything too extreme."
“我們仍然會帶她去狗公園，”特羅斯特說。“我們只是確保她沒有做太極端的活動。”
The health finding was a bonus; Trost wanted the DNA test to confirm her suspicions that Bear was a German shepherd mix.
這一健康發現是一個意外收獲；特羅斯特懷疑貝爾不是純種德國牧羊犬，想通過DNA測試來確認。
She was wrong. Bear is part Labrador retriever, rat terrier, golden retriever, husky and Australian shepherd.
她錯了。貝爾有拉布拉多獵犬，大鼠梗，黃金獵犬，哈士奇和澳大利亞牧羊犬的基因。
It turns out people aren't very good at judging dogs' genetic makeup.
事實證明，人們并不擅長判斷狗的基因構成。
Elinor Karlsson, assistant professor of bioinformatics at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, recently conducted a survey in which respondents were asked to guess the ancestry, by looks alone, of 31 dogs.
馬薩諸塞大學醫學院(University of Massachusetts Medical School)生物信息學助理教授埃莉諾·卡爾松(Elinor Karlsson)最近進行了一項調查，調查對象要僅憑長相猜測31條狗的祖先。
Nearly 35,000 people participated. "Most did badly," says Karlsson. "The highest score was 50 percent, and that was achieved by only one person."
將近35000人參與調查。卡爾松說：“大多數人的表現都很糟糕。”“最高的分數是50%，只有一個人能做到。”
"Curiosity is the No. 1 driver for people to get their dog's DNA tested," according to Angela Hughes, veterinary geneticist at Wisdom Health, a genetic-research pet-care company that has tested more than 1 million dogs.
“好奇心是人們測試狗狗DNA的頭號動力，”安杰拉·休斯說。休斯是智慧健康(Wisdom Health)的一名獸類遺傳學家，智慧健康是一家基因研究寵物護理公司，對100多萬只狗進行了測試。
Its database has more than 250 breeds and varieties, plus 1,800 genetic markers for more than 150 diseases and traits.
它的數據庫有250多個品種和種類，還有150多種疾病和性狀的1800個遺傳標記。
Owners swab their dogs' cheeks and send the sample to the company for analysis.
狗主人們用棉簽擦拭狗的臉頰，然后將樣本送到公司進行分析。
If the results are a surprise, well, it's not all about looks.
如果結果出人意料的話，那么，這并不僅是外貌的問題。
"Sometimes hidden breeds may not manifest physically but behaviorally," Hughes says. "Knowing what makes your dog tick can be helpful."
休斯說:“有時候隱藏的品種可能不會在身體上表現出來，而是在行為上表現出來。”“知道你的狗動力來自哪里非常有用。”
In the end, says Elinor Karlsson, "don't worry about fitting your dog into a box. It's not just DNA; it's also environment and the way your dog is treated. Your dog is one of a kind."
最后，埃莉諾·卡爾松說，“不要擔心給你的狗歸類。不僅僅是DNA；環境和你的狗被如何對待也有很大的作用。你的狗是獨一無二的。”
