Molecular genetics - the future for animal breeding

摘要

Scientists are developing new marker-assisted selection tools that will allow the identification of animals with the healthiest immune systems. Have you a Robocow or Robochicken under your care? Genetics is often treated as the most up-to-date and exciting area of biology. That may be so, but farmers and veterinary surgeons have been practising effective genetics since the first time they chose to breed from one animal over another. With tools little more sophisticated than keen observation, common sense and a desire to improve their stock, farmers have created an array of different breeds, each with its own desirable characteristics.