Nature vs Nurture
Location
CoLab, COM 166
Start Date
30-4-2026 9:30 AM
Document Type
Poster
Description
The MEIs (Mobile Element Insertions) within canine chromosome 6 have close structural similarities with MEIs in human chromosome 7. The variants in these MEIs are responsible for hypersociability found in individuals with Williams-Beuren Syndrome. In recent studies, it has been speculated that this variant is behind the friendliness of dogs and separates them from their wolf ancestors. This semester, we have conducted various experiments looking at both the DNA of the dogs and how they interact with humans. The class went to a local dog shelter to do a phenotypic test by keeping track of how much time each dog went into the circle and remained in it. For the genotype of the dogs, we had to swab the dogs' cheeks for their DNA and take it back to the lab at the college in order to extract the DNA we needed. While our experiment is still ongoing, we hope this will give us a better look at how hypersociability presents in canines.
Image
Nature vs Nurture
CoLab, COM 166
The MEIs (Mobile Element Insertions) within canine chromosome 6 have close structural similarities with MEIs in human chromosome 7. The variants in these MEIs are responsible for hypersociability found in individuals with Williams-Beuren Syndrome. In recent studies, it has been speculated that this variant is behind the friendliness of dogs and separates them from their wolf ancestors. This semester, we have conducted various experiments looking at both the DNA of the dogs and how they interact with humans. The class went to a local dog shelter to do a phenotypic test by keeping track of how much time each dog went into the circle and remained in it. For the genotype of the dogs, we had to swab the dogs' cheeks for their DNA and take it back to the lab at the college in order to extract the DNA we needed. While our experiment is still ongoing, we hope this will give us a better look at how hypersociability presents in canines.
Comments
The faculty mentor for this project was Melissa Beaty.