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Dog ID: Visual and Genetic--A Citizen Science Project

by Ed Hessler, posted on 8:33 AM, April 10, 2018
On April 16, Darwin's Dogs will launch the MuttMix project and they are inviting citizen scientists to participate in a survey.
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Darwin's Dogs wants to know whether citizen scientists can identify the top three breeds that make up a given mutt. Researchers at Darwin's Dogs will compare the visual assessments made by participants with the genetic profiles of the pooches.
 
The purpose is to begin teasing out how much of a dog's behavior is innate and how much is driven by their treatment and training. We have preconceptions about dogs based on experience and what we are told. Some are thought to be great with kids, some appear to have a Napoleonic view of the world, and some we say are brave. 
 
On April 16, Darwin's Dogs will launch the MuttMix project and they are inviting citizen scientists to participate in a survey.

This is a joint project of the Broad Institute of Harvard and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of Massachusetts Medical School in conjunction with the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC).

For information and to sign up see MuttMix.