“Man’s best friend” is proving to be helpful for studying a deadly heart mutation. A team at North Carolina State University identified a genetic mutation that’s a telltale sign of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in golden retrievers. Although the disease itself is rare in dogs, the discovery may soon expand experts’ understanding of the life-threatening heart disease that’s far more common in other mammals—including pet owners. Further examinations revealed that the golden retriever TNNI3 mutation is autosomal recessive. Rivas also noted that the genomic variant overlap in humans and golden retrievers may lead to wider public health ramifications.