Though the domestication of dogs is still shrouded in mystery, one thing scientists agree on is that today's friendly pets are descended from the Eurasian grey wolf. About 15 to 40 thousand years ago, humans befriended these wolves, and over time these wolves branched into the diverse breeds we have today. The genetic diversity seen in Eurasian dogs led researchers to believe that these dogs were closest to their wolf foremothers, and therefore domestication had begun in the region.

But Cornell computational biologist Adam Boyko had a different theory. He believed that the DNA of African village dogs, if sequenced, would reveal a diversity comparable to the Eurasian types. So he asked his brother and sister-in-law, on honeymoon in Egypt, Uganda and Namibia, to collect DNA samples from hundreds of village dogs. Upon their return to the States, Boyko discovered that he had been right. The genetic diversity of African dogs rivaled that of their Eurasian counterparts. Now, he says, it seems likely that dog domestication started in Africa, though the grey wolves themselves are unarguably Eurasian in origin. Probably African village dogs are the descendants of Eurasian dogs that migrated to the continent tens of thousands of years ago.

Boyko told BBC News:

I think it means that the conclusion that was drawn before might have been premature. It's a consequence of having a lot of street dogs from East Asia that were sampled, compared to elsewhere.

"The reason that East Asia looked more diverse than elsewhere was not because East Asia as a continent had more diverse dogs than elsewhere but because non breed street and village dogs are more diverse than breed dogs.

He and an international team of researchers are now gathering DNA from village dogs across Europe and Asia to determine which area has the greatest genetic diversity - and is, by extension, is the most likely origin of the bond between human and canine.

via BBC News

Read the scientific paper by Boyko in PNAS.

Swazi village dog photo by Michael Tallman.

John Heylin, a future blogger at Scenario Land, envisioned the Cryotranz pet carrier, which would give pet owners the ability to place their furry loved one in suspended animation so they won’t have to endure the trauma of travel:

Although the operation of such a device may seem rather daunting, Cryotranz™ hopes that by combining their newest cryo-breakthroughs with eye-appealing design that cryonics will move past the image the industry has of just freezing the heads of the rich and break into the mass consumer world.

Although you're meant to take cryo-kitty with you in the car or on a plane, it’s not a huge leap to imagine how people might use cryogenic devices to try to ship animals through the mail. Or, as one commenter pointed out, how small children might try to use it to freeze their young siblings.

[Scenario Land]

G-Dog
Price: $705
Features: Once assembled, G-Dog takes commands from a wireless remote to perform a basic set of canine commands.
Pros: Some assembly required, so the girls will learn a little something before they can play with their new mechanized pet.
Cons: G-Dog lacks the autonomy of a real dog. Plus, it’s pretty ugly.

Wrex the Dawg
Price: $149
Features: Built to look like a literal junkyard dog, Wrex is a cartoon dog brought to robotic life. He walks, talks, farts, and performs all manner of doggie tricks. His infrared sensors allow him to roam free, or he can be programmed too perform up to 80 operation steps using a remote control. His mood shifts between happy, angry, or crazy, which changes the way he interacts with his surroundings.
Pros: Wrex provides hours of fun, can stand guard outside Malia and Sasha’s rooms, and is unlikely to crash into the furniture.
Cons: Wrex’s toilet humor may not be appreciated by White House guests.

robuDOG
Price: €3200
Features: This French doggie bot can dance, play soccer, and take color photographs. It can also interface with Windows, allowing the girls to play with it in a virtual environment.
Pros: It will not only provide companionship, but also document those early White House years.
Cons: Obama uses a Mac.

BJ
Price: ¥600,000
Features: Aiming to be the successor to Sony’s discontinued AIBO, BJ is a fully programmable pooch with a movable jaw, neck, legs, and tail, and the ability to sense distances and the proximity of people and animals.
Pros: BJ runs on Linux and is tinker-friendly, showing support for the open source community.
Cons: Needs to be renamed.

Pleo
Price: $349
Features: Pleo is an autonomous robotic dinosaur with the ability to recognize sounds, sights, and touch. It expresses hunger, craves affection, explores its environment, and displays a wide range of emotions.
Pros: More pet-like in its ability to react to sensory information and interact with its owner.
Cons: Not actually a dog.

Paro
Price: $5,531
Features: Paro is a baby harp seal that responds to petting by moving its tail, opening and closing its eyes, and making seal-like noises. It can also respond to sounds, learn a name, and show emotions. All of these features are designed to have a calming effect on humans.
Pros: Has been deemed the world’s most therapeutic robot.
Cons: It may be possible for children to get too attached to a robotic pet. Also, it’s still not a dog.

Mio Pup
Price: $49.99
Features: Mio Pup is an interactive toy that accepts petting, plays music, and flashes emoticons in its eyes to signal its mood.
Pros: Considerably less expensive than most robotic dogs.
Cons: Essentially the canine equivalent of a Furby.

Robopet
Price: $99.99
Features: The biomechanical pup performs the full array of canine tricks, responds to sound and human movement, and can be trained to perform tricks on command through positive and negative reinforcement.
Pros: Easier to train than a real dog.
Cons: For some reason, it has the capacity to become depressed.

Dacky the Healing Partner
Price: $149.99
Features: Dacky reacts to petting thanks to its internal sensors. It also asks about your day, sings karaoke, and appears to learn up to 650 words of Japanese.
Pros: Not only is Dacky furrier than most robotic pets, it could encourage the girls to learn a foreign language.
Cons: Only comes in elitist purebred retriever.

Sakadachi-Lucky
Price: $129.99
Features: Sakadachi is another furry bot who responds to voice commands. It can recognize its name, do a headstand, and play tug of war with its rope.
Pros: Unlike Dacky, Sakadachi is of indeterminate breed.
Cons: Also unlike Dacky, it only knows 13 words of Japanese.

BigDog
Price: $10 million (at least that’s what DARPA paid)
Features: Billed as “the most advanced quadruped robot on Earth,” BigDog can maneuver all manner of terrain, run, jump, climb stairs, and recover from a fall.
Pros: Malia and Sasha could spend countless hours exploring the White House on BigDog's back.
Cons: It’s not commercially available.