According to a study cited in Science Daily, dog breeding mimics the laws of natural selection — and it favors Teh Qte. Dogs bred for companionship show wider variation than all other breeds. Said a researcher, “Domestic dogs are boldly going where no self respecting carnivore ever has gone before.”
Peenk tongue!!
OMG OMG OMG
LOVE LOVE LOVE
GOLDEN GOLDEN GOLDEN
BEEP BEEP BEEP
Can I empty the basket out and let the puppehs crawl on me?
BEEP, snuggle, pick up & run away, run away!
I would like a basket full o’ puppehs delivered to my door pleeeeease!
If I sing the “A tisket, a tasket” song, will someone bring me a basket? A basket of puppehs, that is. You can keep your flowers or whatever.
tongue-hance, pleeeeeeez
As much as I’m into scientific theory and what not, I really couldn’t read the article. I mean, how can anyone when they’re being distracted by a big basket-full of golden retrievers?
Also, seeing that it’s domestic breeds that are changing… Wouldn’t that suggest that humans are the ones that favor the cute genes? (Before anyone quotes me, I really didn’t read too far into it. Only a couple of segments here and there). I could very well be missing the entire point.
OH LOOK! KEWT PUPPEHS!
In the words of John McEnroe, “You cannot be serious!!” I don’t think he was referring to a basket-o-puppehs though. The leetle peenk tonguelet!!!!! *thud*
LOVE the little one giving us the raspberry!!! HA!
Seconded: TONGUE-HANCE!
omgawd, the little dude with the tongue!! Could you BE any cuter??
noooo-ooooo (singsong)
**PFTHTHTHTHTHTH** That is what puppy on the right thinks of your ‘natural selection’!
I’m sorry, I am unmoved, as you renewed my addiction to the Shiba Inu puppeh cam.
I’m with Zoey and Melvin. Seriously, how can one do a scientific study about evolution while looking at domestic dog breeds? I mean c’mon, it’s the *humans* that are deciding what characteristics are going to be bred, not evolution. Or am I missing something?
OMG PINK TOUNGE!!!
*OM NOM NOM NOM!*
Even though I don’t like Golden Retrievers when they’re full grown (I don’t like larger dogs for personal ownership…) they are SO FREAKING CUTE when they’re bebehs!
Hoops to the basket! *scoops the wriggling bundle up in her arms*
Oh my gosh-I could eat them up!
All dogs are cute, not just companion breeds..IMO.
I would like one subscription to the Puppy of the Month club, please. The subscription begins in January with the Basket of Golden Retrievers and continues in February with the Tower of Terriers.
Camille – you do NOT want a Tower of Terriers!!!! hahahahaha
(Owned by two, and that is plenty…for now anyway…)
How about a Passel of Poms? a Bushel of Bloodhounds? a Bevy of Boxers?
We cutesters are demanding a COXCO of the PEENK TONGUE! STAT!
A Batch of Beagles? A Crowd of Chihuahuas?
I think for terriers, it should be a Terror of Terriers. BTDT.
Maybe it’s the rate that they are evolving, ceejoe. I read a little bit more and I *think* that is what they are getting at.
But, yet again, I’m blinded by ubercute. DARN THE PUPPEHS FOR KEEPING ME FROM THINKING ABOUT SCIENTIFIC STUFFS!
To all those requesting a close-up on the leetle tongue: Sorry to disappoint, but the photo isn’t available in higher resolution, so a tongue-hance wouldn’t be effective. Sowwy.
a Dollop of Daschunds? a Sea of Shelties? a Pail of Pugs?
P.S. Zoey, thank you for educating people on the “teacup” issue.
I firmly believe that there would be no more wars or conflicts if everyone had this adorable picture to look at whenever they got mad.
And, I have to say it: GOLDENS! It’s pics like these that make me wish we could have known our guy when he was a puppy. I am pretty certain he would have looked like one of these guys.
Wai—what? There’s an article? There’s more than just a basket of pups?
Um, how is this “Darwinian” evolution per the last statement in the linked article: “This study illustrates the power of Darwinian selection with so much variation produced in such a short period of time. The evidence is very strong.”, when human beings are regulating their breeding…?
Kristabelle: That’s what I’m here, for.
Well… Not “here” as in CuteOverload. I’m on CO for teh cute, obviously… But more “here” for the… Oh nevermind. XD
Oh sure, it’s easy to get distracted by the adorable floofball with the little pink tongue in the front of the basket, that’s so obvy. But will you please get a load of the sweet little Eyelid Smooch going on in the back of the basket!?! So sweet.
Eeee! sleepy puppys! awwww!
Puppeh says “pleh” to your scientific research!
Yeah, I don’t think that’s exactly what the article was saying. Or rather, I don’t think that’s what the study concluded — but you wouldn’t know it since the article was so poorly written.
“Natural selection has been relaxed and replaced with *artificial* selection for various shapes that breeders favour.” [asterisks mine
]
Marthava, it’s called artificial selection, and yes, Darwin talked about it extensively. Natural selection isn’t the only process causing Darwinian evolution.
Xcuse me , can you tell me how many calories per pup?
they look awfully sweet, mmm I’ll take 2 no 4 to go
pleeze…
sweet faces=yumyums
pinkmariposas: They have 48,ooo calories for the whole basket. Because they are so sweet!
Melvin et. al.: Artificial selection *mimics* natural selection. That’s the point: it can be studied as an accelerated model of how natural selection works. In natural selection, the selecting force is differential success in surviving and reproducing; in artificial selection, the selecting force is human preference. And humans favour dogs that are cuter, friendlier, more responsive to human communication, etc.
Unfortunately the Science Direct article is badly written – to work out what the study authors REALLY concluded, you need to read their original paper.
I read last week about a fascinating study on Russian silver foxes. By breeding only the most friendly individuals in each generation, after 50 years they are now domesticated – and the weird thing is the other things that change. Although the researchers only selected for friendliness, the tame foxes are paler, cuter, spottier and more submissive than wild foxes – in fact, they continue to look and act more like baby foxes. We are breeding pet dogs to be eternal puppies!!
…woah, I went off on one. I’ll go back in my box now. o.o
Oooh, that was informative Clare, thanks.
I must add that the squity eyed puppy >>>>>>>> raspberry puppy
Raspberry or Bronx Cheer? It is lasting quite a while, I think raspberries are somewhat shorter in duration…
Oh, da puppeh, oh da sweet dittel puppehs…….puppelehs, wait, didn’t I steal that basket a while ago? I brought it back apparently, what a good girl am I!
I want the one who is sticking his tongue out!
Who could say no to a box full of puppies. I would have to have the one on the right he’s got mischeif written all over his face. So cute…
Better put-natural selection mimics dog breeding.
looking at how cute they are, i went out to adopt a puppy. i landed with an easy mastiff adoption. i dont regret getting a mastiff though she can be a handful when fully grown.
i love it and so cute