HOW MANY SPECIES OF POODLE ARE THERE?:

Scientists discover new species of assassin spiders (Allicia Chang, 2/12/06, The Associated Press)

Scientists from the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco and researchers in Madagascar caught more than a million bugs, including the nine new species of assassin spiders, during a four-year expedition through the island's rain and deciduous forests.

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Dogs Like Us (TED KERASOTE, 2/13/06, NY Times)

THE 130th Westminster Dog Show comes to New York today, with its thousands of contestants, ranging in size from two-pound Chihuahuas to 120-pound Great Danes. As the highly groomed dogs prance down the runways of Madison Square Garden — the floor-length coats of the Afghan hounds swaying, the teased coiffures of the poodles bouncing — it's hard not to think of a fashion show.

In the case of dog shows, a given breed's parent club sets the standard for the breed's look or style. These standards describe an ideal specimen and are supposed to relate a dog's form to the original function it performed. But given that dogs are the most plastic of species, and people are inventive, some remarkable varieties of dogs have been created to serve our notions of beauty, novelty, companionship and service.

Unfortunately, in some breeds, form has trumped function. The Pekingese and the bulldog, whose flattened faces make breathing difficult, are two examples. Such design flaws — often perpetuated by breeders trying to produce a dog with a unique look — have enduring consequences for individual dogs, their progeny and the people who love them.

Of the 180 breeds listed on one popular Web site for choosing purebred puppies, 42 percent have chronic health problems: skin diseases, stomach disorders, a high incidence of cancers, the inability to bear young without Caesareans, shortened life spans. The list is as disturbing as it is long, and poses a question: dazzled by the uniqueness of many of the breeds we've created, have we — the dog-owning public — turned a blind eye to the development of a host of dysfunctional animals?

Such is intelligent design.

Posted by Orrin Judd at February 13, 2006 7:37 AM