# Not afraid of ghosts: Curiosity and fearlessness apparent in German shepherd genes

Source: [Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-ghosts-curiosity-fearlessness-apparent-german.html) · 2026-11-13 · Life
Page: https://themorning.science/story/not-afraid-of-ghosts-curiosity-and-fearlessness-apparent-in-german-shepherd-gene-a94f4632faa9d0bb
Kind: research · Impact: low

## In brief

- A study from Uppsala University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences found German shepherds bred for working are more curious and less neurotic than those bred for show.
- The differences appear both in the dogs' behavior and in their genes, according to the study as reported by Biology News.

## Why it matters

The study links behavioral traits in working and show lines of German shepherds to underlying genetic differences, offering a concrete example of how breeding goals shape behavior at the genetic level.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-13: Biology News reports the Uppsala and SLU study on curiosity and fearlessness in German shepherd genes

## Coverage

- [Not afraid of ghosts: Curiosity and fearlessness apparent in German shepherd genes](https://phys.org/news/2026-11-ghosts-curiosity-fearlessness-apparent-german.html) — Biology News - Evolution, Cell theory, Gene theory, Microbiology, Biotechnology, 2026-11-13

Tags: dog genetics, behavior, breeding, german shepherd, canine research

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science