From the smallest Chihuahua to the biggest Great Dane, all dogs emerge from the same basic set of genes. Scientists announced Wednesday that they’d deciphered this doggie DNA and begun detailed comparisons between breeds and with humans. The work should help researchers find genes that make dogs and people vulnerable to such illnesses as cancers, heart disease, cataracts, epilepsy, blindness and deafness. And it has already hinted that people may have fewer genes than scientists thought.The work used the DNA of a female boxer named Tasha, said Eric Lander, director of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and senior author of the analysis in Thursday’s issue of the journal Nature. The DNA project was led by Kerstin Lindblad-Toh of the institute.
