The Science of Smart Dogs

Street value of the Mutt just increased. A new study shows pedigreed dogs are getting dumber. Researchers say that's the result of breeding dogs for looks rather than intelligence.

"You can have lap dogs that are very intelligent. It's just that, if they're just sitting around doing nothing and you breed for many generations without selecting for intelligence, it is possible that their intelligence over time will diminish," he said. "That's what we expect is happening to some breeds."

Rocket science it isn't - and if this trend flips to humans ("never" - is simply beyond our lifetime) it won't even be a remote possibility.