Twenty years of research convinced Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist Jon Franklin that people wouldn't be where they are today if it weren't for our four-legged panting friends. Some doubt his conclusions, likening him to a dyslexic churchgoer. But others support his findings.

A South Carolina man is sentenced to three years in prison for having sex with a horse. Rodell Vereen pleads guilty for the second time in two years to abusing 21-year-old Sugar. "I'm sorry about what I've done. I didn't mean to do it. It's my fault," Vereen says during his court hearing in Horry County.

A 13-year-old pet cat from a home where two people had flu-like symptoms has been treated for the H1N1 virus. The Centers for Disease Control says that this may be the first case of feline "swine flu." The virus has also been confirmed in two ferrets, both of whom died.

If you're a cat lover, you might want to steer clear of one Massachusetts town. Dudley, Mass., will require a special license for its residents to own more than three cats. A complaint about a woman with 15 cats -- who now plans to move to a "more cat-friendly community" -- sparked the change.

Great white sharks tend to stick to their own neighborhood while hunting for food, a new study finds. While the creatures can travel thousands of miles, they often patrol very specific routes, and return to their familiar haunts. "They're not swimming around aimlessly," says one scholar. "They are very selective predators."

World champion sprinter Usain Bolt is in fast company during a trip to Kenya. He adopts a baby cheetah to promote wildlife conservation. The Jamaican track star nearly runs away when asked to pet a full-grown cheetah, known as the fastest feline on the planet. But he warms up to a three-month-old cub who shares his nickname: "Lightning Bolt."