Early man "genetically modified" wild horses to create tamer animals which became the domesticated horse which helped spread human civilisation around the globe, according to new findings by a team of German scientists. Until now, it was not known whether horses had always been "user-friendly" or whether humans had interceded in their genetic makeup through selective breeding - as early humans demonstrably did with wolves and wildcats to "create" modern dogs and cats.
Jump
In what could be a breakthrough in animal breeding, a team of scientists from Germany, Russia and Sweden have discovered a set of genetic regions responsible for animal tameness. This discovery, published in the June 2009 issue of the journal Genetics, should help animal breeders, farmers, zoologists, and anyone else who handles and raises animals to more fully understand what makes some animals interact with humans better than do others. It may also lead to more precise breeding strategies designed to pass specific genes from one generation to the next as a way to produce tame animals.
Jump
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment