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The Great Dane lumbering down the street next to the Chihuahua in its owner's purse are clear examples of the extreme variety of looks that dog species — the most diverse-looking mammal in the world — can sport.

Scientists have long been curious to understand what changes in dog genes brought about by breeding resulted in the wide spectrum of body types, coat colors, fur, and temperaments present in the more than 400 genetically distinct dog breeds today.

A new study has laid down the first pieces of this puzzle by sequencing large sections of genes from nearly 300 dogs belonging to 10 different breeds. Among the study's findings, detailed in the Jan. 11 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is the identification of the gene likely responsible for the exaggerated wrinkles in the skin of Shar-Peis.

Figuring out how genes in dogs are affected by artificial selection (as well as what those genes do) could help us better understand how humans were influenced by natural selection and exactly which genes perform which function in our own genome (the entire collection of human genes). ...