Dogs are the most genetically diverse species in the world and given their success, it’s no wonder that they keep evolving. Sometimes the change is a natural result of an animal’s adaptive nature, in other cases though, researchers aim to modify certain behaviors in order to establish a new breed. Here are four canines you’ll likely hear a lot more about in the next few decades.

Moscow’s Metro Dogs

Moscow has had a stray dog problem for almost two centuries, but while plenty of other cities have similar problems, Moscow is the only one where some strays have taken to using the subway just like the rest of the city’s citizens. The 500 or so dogs that have moved into the subway system aren’t feral monsters either –indeed, they’re some of the most civilized homeless dogs in the world. In fact, the dogs have trained themselves to identify which residents will give them food and which they should avoid.

While the animals still live in packs, the leader of these groups isn’t the strongest one, but instead the smartest one. The packs aren’t territorial and often the leaders will interact with one another –something unheard of in both wolf packs and packs of feral dogs. The packs will often deploy their cutest, smallest members to beg for food from people while the stealthier dogs will often sneak up behind people carrying food and then bark, spooking the person to drop their snack. Because the dogs have an easy time getting food, it is rare to see malnourished animals and many will even be highly selective about what scraps they take. While these pups have learned to rely on people for food and many are even very social, none of them are prone to becoming attached to people or relying on one particular person.

Many members of the pack have learned to recognize which subway station they want to get out on and some have even learned to observe traffic lights. As for their bathroom issues, well they may not know how to use toilets (yet), but they still are careful to only defecate outside in less trafficked areas. All of these unique behaviorisms have made them quite popular amongst researchers who seek to understand how the dogs have adapted, how they understand the subway system and how they will continue to evolve.

Source Image Via Adam Baker [Flickr]

Sulimov Dogs

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Jackals and public safety seem to be at odds with one another, but one day these wild K-9s might just save your life –or at least relatives of the jackal might. That’s because researcher Klim Sulimov realized that jackals have an amazing sense of smell that makes them far better at sniffing out bombs than domestic dogs. Unfortunately, jackals aren’t exactly privy to wandering around on a leash.

Years ago, a bunch of artists painted Darth Vader helmets, creating a variety of unique designs. For those that prefer Doctor Who over Star Wars, you might want to check out the new project that features a variety of painted classic British call boxes.

Granted, they might not actually be TARDISes, but they certainly look close enough when painted in outrageous colors and are disguised as things like Big Ben. Hey at least these might be better disguises than a big blue box hiding in the middle of ancient Rome.

Link Via io9

If natural geodes are formed inside of natural rock formations, then why shouldn't man made items develop man made geodes? It makes sense right? Ok, maybe not really, but still, it looks neat and it makes you think -if only of who created these urban geodes and why.

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We've seen Pikachu lips, but never troll lips or most of the other weird and wacky lipstick paintings over on Oddee and I assure you, they're certainly worth checking out -even if you'd never actually want to wear these looks yourself.

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This pizza looks delicious, but I must say that it seems kind of wrong to have a mushroom pizza without mushrooms on it. Of course, ideally it should make you grow twice as tall when you eat it, but that's just nitpicking.

Link Via That's Nerdalicious

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When we hear about those who can't do the the basic things the rest of us take for granted, we tend to feel sorry for them. But even though Loca can't run right, she's still precious and lives a happy and wonderful life with her owners and other dog friends.

Via I Can Has Cheezburger

You might think the idea of a dog surfing contest is kind of silly, and you're right, but it's just that sort of silliness that makes the Loews Coronado Bay Resort Surf Dog Competition so much darn fun! It's a great way to spend a day at the beach with a bunch of dogs and support a good cause in the process. While this was the 7th annual contest, I regret that it was my first attendance at the contest -mostly because I only heard about it on the news after it already ended. That's why when I found out about the event ahead of time this year, I marked every calendar I have to make sure I made it.

Unfortunately, despite my best efforts, I still missed the small dog part of the competition, which also meant that I missed a few world records being made -namely most dogs surfing on one board at one time, most dogs surfing on a board at one time with a human and most dogs surfing on a board at one time with two humans. While I can't find any Creative Commons images of the little dog surfers, I was able to get a hold of this video that features a few of them along with interviews with some participants.

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I was also able to find a few images of the world record attempts on the Flickr stream of the always wonderful San Diego Shooter, aka Nathan Rupert. Here you can see all the human and pups working to get things lined up for the most dogs surfing on one board record -apparently they managed to get 20 dogs on this custom-made board!



And in case you were wondering, yes, they actually did get going.



If you think that's impressive though, check out this image Nathan captured of the world record attempt featuring two humans, Scott Chandler and his daughter Tyler, and seven dogs.



Despite missing the world record attempts and the small dogs category, there was still a whole lot of action going on when we did get there -and tons of precious pups. In fact, there were dozens of non-competing dogs that still came decked out in their best beach attire.

You’ve probably heard most of these misquotes aren’t accurate already, but what you might not know is where they actually originated and how they ended up getting associated with certain famous people and characters. Here’s your chance to learn how misattribution and miswording can become someone’s longest lasting legacy.

1. “Let Them Eat Cake”

Perhaps the most famous misquote of all time, you almost certainly already knew she never actually said this line. What you might not know is where the line comes from. As it turns out "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche," was first written in Jean-Jacques Rousseau's Confessions, an autobiography he started to write while Antoinette was only nine years old. In fact, Marie didn’t even arrive in France until after Rousseau completed the book.

The quote itself was said to have come from a “great princess,” but he never actually lists the princess by name and many believe he completely made the story up. Others speculate that it was referring to Maria Theresa of Spain or one of Louis XV's daughters, either Madame Sophie and Madame Victoire.

As for Marie, she was actually quite sweet and felt bad for the impoverish people of her country, even if she didn’t let it stop her from living a rather lavish lifestyle. In fact, when there was a bread shortage during her reign, she wrote to her family in Austria saying, "It is quite certain that in seeing the people who treat us so well despite their own misfortune, we are more obliged than ever to work hard for their happiness.”

It wasn’t until 1843, almost 75 years after Rousseau completed Confessions and over 50 years since Marie was executed, that the quote was attributed to her for the first time by Alphonse Karr in “Les Guepes. While none of this makes it any better that the Queen has been so wrongly villainized by the quote, at least now you know the story.

Source Image Via (Alex) [Flickr]

2. “Elementary, My Dear Watson”

Here’s another one that’s famous for being inaccurate, but people still like to quote it whenever a reference to Sherlock Holmes comes up. In all of the sixty Sherlock Holmes stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, this phrase never once comes up, although Holmes does say both “elementary” and “my dear Watson” –just never together.

As for the origin of the phrase, well, it was first used in the 1915 P.G. Wodehouse novel Psmith, Journalist. It later appeared in the first Sherlock Holmes sound film, The Return of Sherlock Holmes, which premiered in 1929. Neither of these sources were enough to make it the famous misquote it is today though. Indeed, that honor goes to writer Edith Meiser’s regular use of the line in The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes radio series that was broadcast  between 1939 and 1947.

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3. “Play It Again, Sam”

I don't know about you guys, but I wish these stained glass versions of Disney characters were actually made from stained glass instead of just being artwork that looks like stained glass. That way, I could have put them in my Disney cathedral.Either way though, they're still really cool, so don't miss the other set at the link.

Link Via The Mary Sue

When I posted the picture of the fancy-dressed goat last week, Reader Choggie asked me if I might like to link to one of his photos. Sure enough, this photo of dogs with red junk on their head bearing their rumps to one begging boy in the middle certainly deserved a Neatorama WTF salute!

Thanks Choggie!

What happens when you mix the sociability and alcoholism of a bar with the exercise and safety-hazards of a bike? Well, you get the awesome Cycle Pub. Best of all, it's not actually as dangerous as it sounds since only one (sober) person actually drives and everyone else just pedals to provide momentum. For those interested in taking in the scenes while throwing back a few beers, the cycle pub is booking tours in Boise, Idaho, Bend, Oregon and Carson City and Reno, Nevada.

Link Via Visit Bend

If you've always fantasized about living like a sailor, but can't stand getting seasick, then you can always do the next best thing and decorate your home like a boat or submarine. It might sound cheesy in theory, but sometimes these designs look downright awesome, as evidenced by the rooms in this great WebUrbanist article.

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Think America's Got Talent has some great acts? Just wait until you see Pets Lady's top ten talented pets. Just look at this gorgeous husky singing along to Gwen Stefani.

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Miss Piggy actually makes a pretty decent Phoenix, after all, she certainly is fiery and powerful, but Beaker as Mageito, that one I'm not so sure about. What do you guys think of Ken Haeser's casting decisions?

Link Via io9

I'm sure you can already tell how fatty these are just by looking at them, but just in case you were wondering what the meat logs actually are: they are hot dogs covered in chilli, then wrapped in bacon and then wrapped in weaved bacon. Yes, each one probably has all enough saturated fats to meet your yearly nutrition requirements, but I bet they taste good.

Link Via That's Nerdalicious