When Did Dogs Become Our "Best Friends"?

DNA from scrappy dogs in African villages is raising doubts about a theory that dogs first became “man’s best friend” in East Asia.
Based on DNA evidence, scientists believe that domestic dogs originated from Eurasian gray wolves sometime between 15,000 and 40,000 years ago. The history of how dogs became human companions, however, remains muddy.

In 2002 researchers had examined DNA from hundreds of dogs around the world and found that East Asian dogs are the most genetically diverse.Since the highest diversity should exist in the region where dogs first went from wolf to woof, the study seemed to suggest that the dog-human bond was forged in East Asia.
That study included almost equal numbers of East Asian “breed” dogs and “village” dogs, said study co-author Adam Boyko, a biologist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

Breed dogs include purebred and mixed-breed animals. Village dogs are those that are indigenous to a specific region and “were not subject to the same degree of intense artificial selection and closed breeding practices that characterize modern breed dogs,” the study authors write.

First Reverse Vasectomy For Rare Horse Species

To help revive the Przewalski’s horse, or takhi, in Mongolia, a Washington, D.C.-area zoo facility hosted the first ever reverse vasectomy on the species.

They are considered the only wild horses left in the world. The Takhi ,knows as przewalski horses in the west
dont look like domesticated cousins
They are know for their large heads stiff zebra like manes potbellies and short ,stocky legs and also unlike their cousins there cousins they have never been truly domesticated . They are an endangered species.
40 years ago these horses disappeared from their native home of Mongolia and where declared extinct in the wild and only hand full of takhi survived in the captivity .

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Paris Hilton Dishes On Her Swanky Pup Mansion

With a mansion that rivals the White House and designer duds from Jimmy Chew and Pawda, the pooches lead a charmed life!

It’s hard work being one of Paris Hilton’s pups. Photo ops, fittings with stylists and play dates sure can keep a canine’s calendar packed! But luckily, the heiress’s brood of tiny pooches – which includes Tinkerbell, Marilyn Monroe, Prince Baby Bear, Harajuku, Dolce and Prada – have a relaxing place to kick back, thanks to the star of Paris Hilton’s My New BFF, who designed a posh pad for her family of pooches.

The heiress – who recently shared pictures of her pets and their California home on Twitter – tells PEOPLE Pets her pups are “mini-fashionistas,” and that they adore their luxe doghouse. “There are two floors. Downstairs is the living room and upstairs is the closet and bedroom,” Hilton says. “They love to run up and down the stairs and chill on their balcony.”

The “mini-doggie mansion,” as Hilton calls it, was designed by the heiress in collaboration with interior decorator Faye Resnick. It’s built to resemble Hilton’s own home, and is decorated with “comfy beds and miniature Phillipe Starck furniture. I even made sure to put a heater and air conditioner in there for them for the different seasons,” she says. “I wanted it to be elegant, girly, comfortable, pink and beautiful. I even had a black crystal chandelier installed, as well as gorgeous black ceiling moldings.”

Though the pups have their fair share of time outside – there’s even a front lawn where they could BBQ (if they had thumbs!) – Hilton says they most enjoy hanging out on their “Chewy Vuitton” bed and in their black “Furcedes.” So are any more renovations planned? “I’m thinking of installing a mini-flat screen too,” Hilton says. “Just kidding!”

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Shaun Ellis Teaches Baby Wolf To Howl

In the clip below, wolf researcher Shaun Ellis teaches a young pup how to open up its pipes.

At first, this baby wolf isn’t interested in doing anything more than whimpering and lazing about in Ellis’ arms. But when his human counterpart threatens to outdo him in the howling department, his vocal chords kick into gear. Although the baby’s first howls sound more like squeaks, when he throws his head back, we can just picture him doing the real thing in front of a full moon.

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