- Image via Wikipedia
The information is likely to have a major impact on livestock breeding
The genome of a female Hereford cow has been sequenced, which could be a starting point for major improvements in the agricultural industry.
Analysing this blueprint of DNA code for the chemical building blocks of the animal is revealing the unique role that many of the genes play.
The information is likely to have a major impact on livestock breeding.
The study, published in the journal Science, was a six-year effort by more than 300 scientists in 25 countries.
Cattle now join an elite group of animals to have had their genome sequenced – a group that includes humans, other primates and rodents.
“We chose to study the cow genome because these animals are of such immense importance to humans,” explained Richard Gibbs from Baylor College of Medicine’s Human Genome Sequencing Center, a leading contributor to the project.
 |
 This could be used to come up with ways to reduce the environmental impact of cattle, such as greenhouse gases released by herds  Richard Gibbs
Baylor College of Medicine |
Related articles by Zemanta
- Scientists sequence cow genome (cbc.ca)
