Tuesday, October 27, 2020

Ancient hanky panky gave modern goats their iron stomachs

GOAT: Greatest of all time. It is no wonder these amazing animals were one of, if not the first, to be domesticated. Domestication of the Capra aegagrus hircus goats was made easier due to the cross they had with the wild goat breed West Caucasian tur, giving them the important MUC6 gene. This gene is found in the lining of goats and helps protect them from parasites, which are very likely when they are in crowded areas for an extended period of time. The discovery of this gene gave more proof to researchers that the important genes for domesticated animals aren't always related to their appearance. The MUC6 gene makes maintaining goats easier for those who choose to raise them.

2 comments:

  1. this was very interesting, I was not aware that there was a certain gene that allows goats to be easily domesticated. I wonder if the same applies to common pets like dogs and cats.

    ReplyDelete
  2. This article was quite interesting to see that goats weren't always easily domesticated like they are to this day. It it quite amazing that one gene that protects them from parasites makes them easier to domesticate and group together.

    ReplyDelete