英语听力文摘 English Digest 278、形态各异的狗

（单词翻译）

　　Man’s Best Friend—in All Shapes and Sizes
Scientists are making great strides in understanding the genes¹ that allow such a wide range of shapes, sizes and personalities² in different dog breeds.
Did you know domestic dogs were bred from wolves about 15,000 years ago? That's pretty recent in evolutionary³ terms, isn't it? Very. Humans have sped up the diversification⁴ of dogs by selecting for particular physical or behavioral traits such as size, coat type, trainability, and hunting or herding⁵ ability. But dogs still show greater variety than any other domesticated⁶ animal, and for a long time this variance⁷ has largely been unexplained.
A group of genetics researchers collaborated⁸ with dog breeders and veterinarians to study the DNA⁹ from 148 different dog breeds. With such a large sample of genes from very different kinds of dogs, they were able to identify regions in the dog DNA that are important in regulating some key traits that differ between breeds.

　　Four regions were found that may regulate life span, a breed characteristic that usually decreases with increasing body size. Regions associated with some behavioural stereotypes¹⁰ like herding, pointing and boldness were also identified.
The study could have far-reaching benefits for dogs and their owners. With further research, dog owners and vets¹¹ could use this information to customize the care, diet and medicines to the particular needs of their breed, and to identify and perhaps prevent breed-specific diseases.