I am not into organics, but I do take an interest in animal welfare issues. I used to keep backyard chickens, and always buy free range eggs.
I was recently sent an email with the very simple message:
Freeranger Eggs now has a website: www.freeranger.com.au .
Isn’t this dog gorgeous, click here.
Jennifer Marohasy BSc PhD has worked in industry and government. She is currently researching a novel technique for long-range weather forecasting funded by the B. Macfie Family Foundation.
Interesting, more money in breeding the dogs I think
http://www.angelfire.com/biz7/maremma/breed/index.html
The genome of mans best friend, Tash the Boxer, has been sequenced.
Have a look at the cover of the latest issue of Nature which was designed for dog (& DNA) lovers (www.nature.com/nature/journal/v438/n7069/index.html). We have shared our lives with dogs for thousands of years, and our relationship is only getting closer.
The complete dog genome sequence, which was finished last summer, is helping scientists to track down genes that cause disease in both dogs and people.
In breeding for a Chihuahua or a Grand Dane we have created inbred population of animals which suffer from the same diseases as we do.
Bone cancer, skin cancer, and lymphoma are among the many types of cancers that are similar in humans and dogs.
The genes that cause them will probably be easier to track down in the dog genome, however.
It’s a numbers game really were dogs are the top dog.
Dog families have short generations and many offspring. This means that a genetical analysis of a dominant trait is much easier to do in a dog than a human.
Dogs will benefit to since the identification of disease genes will assist breeders in eliminating the disease gene in affected dog breeds.
I just had a look at the web site of Free ranger.
They disclose upfront that they don’t try to restrict access between their free range chickens and small wild birds.
A different story in Europe though where Austria, Croatia, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland have locked up their free range chickens during the wild bird migration due to the spread of bird flu to Europe ( See link below). The likely carrier being migratory birds on the wing from South East Asia.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/12/09/news/bird.php.