Published on Feb. 27, 2019
How to explain the evolution of animal breeding in one minute
Ever felt at a loss when asked how animal breeding factors into the food chain?
Animal breeding is not a new concept. In fact, people have been making breeding choices about livestock as well as domestic pets for thousands of years. With recent technology and examination of animal DNA, it is now possible to link traits to genes. Watch to see a snapshot of animal breeding.
By choosing which animals will be the parents of the next generation, people have been trying to change the characteristics of animals, like cats, dogs, horses and other livestock for over thousands of years. They selected the biggest, healthiest, strongest or prettiest animal, and expected those traits to be passed on to their offspring. In modern breeding, we made a big step forward.
Computers help gather and process specific data in order to calculate the value that an animal is expected to pass on to their offspring. And since this millennium, we can look into the DNA of animals.
With DNA information it is possible to link traits to genes. Consequently, we can predict even better which traits animals will express.
As a result, we can change the desired direction of a population of animals much faster and more accurately. Thus steering towards more robust and resilient animals. Better breeding today, for a brighter life tomorrow.
