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The genome of a heroic dog has been studied. In 1925, Balto saved sick children in Alaska
Nearly a century ago, the settlement of Nome, Alaska, was threatened by a diphtheria outbreak. The medicine was miraculously transported by dog sled. The hero of the relay became a Siberian husky named Balto. Scientists have just studied his genes to determine how he differed from modern huskies.
One of the exhibits at the Clevelend Museum of Natural History is a medium-sized hairy dog. He is massively built. He has fairly short legs and very thick, long fur. This is what Alaskan huskies looked like a hundred years ago.
The stuffed animal in the museum in Clevelend is Balto, a famous dog who lived to see books and movies about him. Balto was one of the heroes of the so-called Great Race of Mercy in 1925. In fact, it was not a race, but a sled dog relay. Its goal was to get the cure for children dying of diphtheria to Nome as quickly as possible.
Chasing through snow and frost to save the children
Nome is located on the western edge of Alaska. Today it has a population of about 4,000. A hundred years ago, during the gold rush, the town was five times larger. It was inhabited mainly by miners with their families and Alaska Natives.
