Blog | Darwin's Ark

A picture of Balto, one of Darwin's Dogs, walking toward the backyard in his backyard.

What’s Next for Darwin’s Dogs?

Published on September 2, 2026

DNA sequencing is back, and the next chapter of discovery is just beginning.

The questions that unite pet owners

Published on August 19, 2026

From ancestry to aging, the mysteries that fascinate pet owners are the same ones that scientists are working to answer.

What dogs have been teaching us for 10 years

Published on July 9, 2026

From cancer research to canine behavior, here's how community scientists have helped move dog research forward.

2026: The year of the kitten

Published on June 17, 2026

A new report from Hill’s Pet Nutrition highlights growing research interest in kitten development and the need for better feline data.

A picture of Brodie, a border collie, and a member of Darwin's Dogs, looks on

Darwin's Dogs: Preparing for the next decade of discovery

Published on June 17, 2026

A look back at the project that started it all

Thinking outside the litter box

Published on May 20, 2026

Darwin’s Cats’ new urinary health survey is the first questionnaire of its kind to study a targeted—and common—category of feline health conditions.

A picture of DNA sequencing with the letters ACTG

How and why Darwin’s Ark studies pet DNA differently

Published on May 13, 2026

How community science, whole genome sequencing, and large datasets help researchers uncover new insights about cats and dogs

Celebrating Charlie Lieu: Our community science superstar!

Published on April 16, 2026

Building a community-powered pet genomics platform and leaving a lasting legacy.

From fur strands to sequences: The journey of your cat’s DNA

Published on April 9, 2026

Your cat has a unique story written in their DNA. Learn how Darwin’s Cats’ sequencing research is reading that story, letter by letter.

Women in Science Q&A: Dr. Frances Chen

Published on March 16, 2026

From sneaking out of anatomy lab to study Hox genes to raising 15 guide dog puppies, Dr. Frances Chen explains how canine genetics is the missing link in solving complex health challenges for both dogs and humans.

Seeing double? A domestic cat with a tabby coat pattern (left) closely resembles its ancestor, the African wildcat (right).

Cat ancestry 101: Evolution & wildcat connections

Published on January 21, 2026

Why cat ancestry isn’t like dog ancestry—and how genetics is revealing the story of the domestic cat.

Cat with white and brown fur stands amid a celebration scene with colorful balloons and confetti

A breakthrough year for feline science

Published on December 17, 2025

From fur-based DNA sequencing to unprecedented growth, 2025 marked a defining year for Darwin’s Cats.

Yellow Labrador Retriever tilts head to the left against a blue-grey background.

Debunking doggie DNA behavioral tests

Published on November 26, 2025

A new study from Darwin’s Ark reveals that genetic tests claiming to predict dog behavior don’t hold up to scientific scrutiny.

Darwin's Cats purr-sonality profiles

Published on November 12, 2025

How your survey answers showcase your cat’s unique traits

Long-haired tabby cat with grey and white fur and green eyes is examined by a veterinarian.

Surveying the cat health landscape

Published on October 29, 2025

Darwin's Cats’ latest survey asks big questions about cat health conditions and their potential genetic roots.

Pounce! into the wild world of puppies

Published on September 16, 2025

Darwin’s Ark scientists unveil a new community science platform for studying puppy play behaviors.

Inside your dog's personality profile

Published on August 20, 2025

Darwin’s Dogs personality profiles showcase your dog’s behavioral traits and tell you how they stack up to other pups.

Darwin's Ark on display at the pet science fair

Published on August 19, 2025

Cambridge's community comes together for cats, dogs, and scientific discovery.

Seven cats with various coat colors and patterns sit in a line against a white background.

Meet the Darwin's Cats

Published on July 16, 2025

Curious about the thousands of fabulous felines in the Darwin’s Cats community? Pounce into this cat census based on your survey responses.

Orange cat lies against a teal background with the words "Darwin's Cats Science Talk" in the background.

Darwin’s Cats Science Talk: A conversation with our researchers

Published on June 17, 2025

Our scientists answered cat genetics questions in Darwin’s Ark’s first-ever webinar.

Australian shepherd dog herding a sheep in a field

Open science study reveals genomic evidence of herding dog behavior

Published on May 15, 2025

You herd it here first! New study used Darwin’s Dogs data to uncover genetic drivers of herding dog behavior

Four orange cats sit side-by-side in front of a black background and behind the organizational logos for Darwin's Ark, the Broad Institute, UMass Chan Medical School, and Hill's Pet Nutrition.

Darwin’s Cats: A partnership with purr-pose

Published on April 24, 2025

Darwin’s Ark teams up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition and leading research institutions to improve cat well-being through community-powered genetics research.

Cat with white and grey fur lies on the ground next to two rows of puzzle pieces, with its front right paw placed over one of the pieces.

How surveys complete cats’ genetic puzzle

Published on April 15, 2025

Surveys help scientists make sense of DNA and the unexpected ways it shapes traits.

All hands (and paws) on deck for Citizen Science Month!

Published on March 31, 2025

To celebrate community-powered research, let’s do 100,000 acts of science together!

A cat owner uses a comb to collect fur from a black and white cat for DNA sequencing.

A (brush) stroke of genius: fur-based DNA sequencing

Published on March 19, 2025

Darwin’s Ark’s genomic breakthrough is revolutionizing cat genetic research

Elinor Karlsson, chief scientist of Darwin's Ark, wears a brown blazer and blue top and sits in a wood-paneled room at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Q&A: What Darwin’s Cats hopes to discover

Published on February 18, 2025

Elinor Karlsson talks about her vision for Darwin’s Ark’s long-awaited cat community science initiative

A working dog with white fur wearing a red service dog harness is lying on a paved surface outside.

Dogs with jobs—backed by science

Published on February 17, 2025

The Working Dog Project: A nonprofit partnership building better breeding selection tools

brown and white collie with its ears perked up lies next to an open laptop on a desk.

The role of research surveys in genetic discoveries

Published on January 21, 2025

Community science surveys help scientists untangle genetic and environmental drivers in dog behavior

Cat owner cradles a fuzzy orange cat in their lap with white bedding in the background.

Is your cat’s birthplace in their DNA?

Published on January 14, 2025

Where in the world is your cat from? Their birthplace may hold clues to their genetic makeup.

Close-up of a grey dog with blue eyes set against a blurred grey and green background.

The silent impact of chemical exposures on pets

Published on December 16, 2024

Darwin’s Ark researchers use canine community science to explore how chemical exposures contribute to cancer development.

Orange and black cat with bright green eyes focuses intently on camera and lounges on a red couch.

Why are cats so understudied?

Published on December 13, 2024

A tail of superstition, persecution, and misconceptions

A human unleashes a dog with white and brown fur.

Unleashing the power of comparative genomics

Published on November 15, 2024

Our bond with dogs may be the missing link to discovering the genetic basis of neuropsychiatric disorders.

An orange cat playfully stretched on its back inside of a cardboard box.

Darwin’s Cats: Decoding cats with community science

Published on November 15, 2024

Have you watched your cat make a beeline for an empty box or zoom around the room after a nap and wondered: why do they do that?

A cover of the magazine Science composed of a grid displaying the faces of seven different dogs with distinct features: a Great Dane, Dachshund, Collie, pug, and three mutts. Beneath the dog grid is text reading "JUST LOOKS?"

We made the cover of Science!

Published on April 28, 2022

Breed doesn't define a dog's behavior—but their genetics and environment do.

Eight black and grey graphics showcasing dog behaviors and expressions of canine personality, including human sociability, excitability, playing with toys, biddability, agnostic threshold, dog sociability, curiosity, and proximity-seeking behaviors.

Personality tests for your dog

Published on April 28, 2022

Do you enjoy taking personality tests and wish your pup could join in the fun?

Graphic of a clipboard with a checkmark labeled "Record," a DNA strand with a magnifying glass labeled "Explore," and puzzle pieces forming a lightbulb labeled "Learn"

Open science and citizen science: what does it all mean?

Published on December 5, 2018

Shared knowledge drives innovation at Darwin's Ark

Silhouettes of a human, mouse, and dog connected by blue arrows arranged in a circular fashion suggestion a relationship among them. In the center of the circle reads, "Shared neural circuitry?"

New paper shows how dogs can help advance OCD research

Published on November 17, 2017

Darwin's Ark affiliate scientists published a study in Nature that identifies genetic variants associated with compulsive disorders in humans and dogs.