I cannot even grapple with the idea even with races of dogs cattle pigeons or fowls;
Now we are going beyond that to understand how flies steer and maneuver. Learning how nature creates superior sensors could lead to lighter smarter drones.
#Breeding For High Milk Production Created Less-Fertile Cowsafter generations of careful breeding dairy cows around the world produce more milk than ever.
*Now a team of European biologists has uncovered one reason behind the decline at least for several types of Danish cattle.
The same genes that make cows produce more milk also kill off cow embryos they found.
The European researchers found that up to a third of Nordic Red Cattle are missing one copy of each of the same four genes.
Like humans cows are supposed to have two copies of all of their genes one from their moms and one from their dads.
but at the same time having one copy of each makes a cow produce more milk than normal cows that have two copies.
They simply chose high-producing cows to breed thus passing on their shortened genes. That's why the genetic flaw is so common in Nordic cows.
Inbreeding makes the situation worse but with artificial insemination it's common on farms. Farmers could improve things by checking
whether the bulls they use in breeding are missing copies of these four genes Goutam Sahana a Danish geneticist who worked on the study said in a statement.
Those that are shouldn't mate with high-milk-producing cows which may be missing those genes too.
What about cattle in the U s.?This study looked only at Nordic herds so it can't say
whether American cows have the same genetic flaws. But American researchers are also looking into genetics for an explanation of fertility declines in cows at home.
Last year Texas A&m announced it received a $3 million grant to study the genetics of dairy cattle fertility.
After all it's those cute baby calves that keep the farm going. Check out the entire study in the journal PLOS Genetics.*
*Some hard numbers for the curious: In 1960 the average American Holstein cow gave about 6300 kilograms (13900 pounds) of milk a year.
In 2000 the average cow gave 11800 kilograms. In 1970 the average cow needed 1. 8 rounds of artificial insemination to get pregnant.
In 2000 cows needed on average three rounds. Cows now also take longer to become fertile again after giving birth to a calf a
#With few hard frosts, tropical mangroves push northcold-sensitive mangrove forests have expanded dramatically along Florida's Atlantic Coast as the frequency of killing frosts has declined according to a new study based on 28 years
of satellite data from the University of Maryland and the Smithsonian Environmental Research center in Edgewater Md.
so you can reduce the amount of grain you feed the cattle says Hollis. It's about giving antibiotics to baby chicks
Among the largest human-related sources of methane are ruminant animals (cattle sheep goats and buffalo) and fossil fuel extraction and combustion.
One of the most effective ways to cut methane the researchers wrote is to reduce global populations of ruminant livestock especially cattle.
or a#oefarm to fork#analysis the researchers observed that greenhouse gas emissions from cattle
and easily infect farm animals such as cows sheep pigs and chickens. Humans can be infected by eating undercooked meat or unwashed vegetables.
#Contraception program effectively manages bison populationthe wild bison roaming Catalina Island are a major attraction for the nearly 1 million tourists who visit the Channel Island's most popular destination every year.
But managing the number of bison so that the herd remains healthy and doesn't endanger the health of the rest of the Island has been a major challenge for wildlife biologists.
Previously more than two-thirds of the cows delivered calves every year. After receiving the contraceptive the calving rate dropped to 10.4%in the first year and 3. 3%the following year.
The Conservancy's study demonstrated for the first time that this type of contraceptive will work in a wild herd a finding that can help improve bison management programs throughout the United states. The success of the Catalina Island Conservancy's bison contraception program demonstrates the innovative approaches
By proving the effectiveness of this humane approach to herd management this research will be a benefit to bison herds throughout the U s. It also lays the groundwork for further contraceptive studies in other wild species. The bison were brought first to the Island in 1924
The Catalina Island Conservancy which protects 88%of Catalina Island had conducted previously studies that found the Island could support only about 150 to 200 bison.
To control the herd's size the Conservancy had been periodically conducting roundups and shipping bison to the mainland.
Shipping the bison to the mainland was costly and it raised concerns about the stress on the animals during shipment and the expansion of the herd beyond ecologically sustainable numbers between shipments said Julie King director of conservation
Beginning in 2009 the Conservancy's scientists injected the female bison with porcine zona pellucida (PZP) a contraceptive that had been used for fertility control in zoos wild horses and white tail deer.
In addition to substantially reducing the number of new calves the PZP had no apparent effect on pregnant females or their offspring.
if the female bison can regain their fertility after a period of time without the contraceptive. The bison contraception program is a good example of trying to reach a balance with cultural aesthetic
or recreational needs and uses and cost-effective natural resource management to maintain the health of the ecosystem said John J. Mack chief conservation and education officer.
Mandondo as leader of a study published in Springer's journal Human ecology believes that concerted and coordinated efforts are needed to solve the related dilemmas faced by this African country.
The above story is provided based on materials by Springer. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length h
#New global study reveals how diet and digestion in cows, chickens and pigs drives climate change hoofprintthe resources required to raise livestock
what cows sheep pigs poultry and other farm animals are eating in different parts of the world;
Meat v. dairy grazing animals v. poultry and porkthe study shows that ruminant animals (cows sheep
and goats) require up to five times more feed to produce a kilo of protein in the form of meat than a kilo of protein in the form of milk.
and poultry (monogastrics) are more efficient at converting feed into protein than are cattle sheep
and goats (ruminants) and it further found that this is the case regardless of the product involved
In arid regions of Sub-saharan africa for example where the fodder available to grazing animals is of much lower quality than that in many other regions a cow can consume up to ten times more feed--mainly in the form of rangeland grasses--to produce a kilo of protein than a cow
Similarly cattle scrounging for food in the arid lands of Ethiopia Somalia and Sudan can in the worst cases release the equivalent of 1000 kilos of carbon for every kilo of protein they produce.
In 2003 many villagers kept cows or pigs on their land but after joining the EU it became uneconomical to do so.
or occasional contact with cows in 2003 but this fell to four per cent in 2012.
#European springtime temperature benefits Alpine ibex vitalitya study published December 16th 2013 in the journal Ecology Letters provides new evidence for the dependency of local trophic interactions
and ecologists from Switzerland Norway and the US debuts in applying existing methods of tree-ring research (dendrochronology*)to analyze annual horn growth rates of the Alpine ibex (Capra ibex**)
The evaluation of eight ibex populations in the Grison Alps showed that the North Atlantic Oscillation
(i e. air masses originating in the North Atlantic) synchronizes annual horn growth rates of male ibex living in different regions and altitudes.
Over 8. 000 ibex probedthe team analyzed over 42.000 individual horn increments from more than 8. 000 male ibex.
Since the Alpine ibex is protected a highly species it is particularly important to strictly control
since the revival of the ibex hunt in Grison where professional gamekeepers consequently measure and digitize each specimen.
Nevertheless the authors call attention to the complexity of possible correlations between ibex vitality and climate variability and emphasize the importance of other factors.
Further analyses are necessary to fully understand the complete potential of the ibex dataset in Grison.
if and how hunting can affect the age structure of ibex populations and the horn growth of the individuals.
#No fluke as parasites nuked with innovative toolkittyndall National Institute Ireland has announced the development of a new diagnostic toolkit--Flukeless--to help in the fight against liver fluke in cattle and sheep.
Led by Dr Alan O'Riordan Principal investigator at Tyndall National Institute Flukeless will be developed in collaboration with Teagasc University college Dublin Zoetis The Enfer Group and The irish Cattle Breeding Federation.
Whether from cows goats or sheep raw milk and milk products are a continuing source of bacterial infections that are especially dangerous to pregnant women fetuses the elderly young children
Some advocates of raw-milk consumption argue that cows are healthier now than in the pre-pasteurization era
#Researchers see added nutritional benefits in organic milka team led by a Washington state University researcher has found that organic milk contains significantly higher concentrations of heart-healthy fatty acids compared to milk from cows on conventionally managed dairy farms.
The largest migration is of wildebeests but zebras antelopes and other animals may also pass through villages on their way to elsewhere.
It can be very hard to taste the difference between dried meat from different species. One animal in particular the topi a kind of antelope is supposed to taste about the same as normal beef.
People close to the national park are best at identifying the different types of bushmeat but this is by no means a safe method for identifying a species. Chickens
and dairy cattle diets but to our knowledge the nutritional values of these ingredients have not been studied in pigs he said.
In the Kafue area a high incidence of Mycobacterium bovis in both cattle and the Kafue lechwe antilope has been detected.
Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is the main cause of human tuberculosis has also been detected in cattle in this region.
Sidney Malama's doctoral research shows that Mycobacterium tuberculosis which is the most prevalent tuberculosis bacterium in humans also occurs in cattle in Namwala.
and cattle respectively are related. The fact that this bacterium is found in cattle means that these animals can be a reservoir for human tuberculosis
and that humans can become infected with both M. bovis and M. tuberculosis by drinking unpasteurised milk
and cattle and of M. bovis in humans cattle and Kafue lechwe in Namwala indicate that the same tuberculosis bacteria are circulating between humans and animals.
Health authorities wildlife managers and cattle owners must work together to stop zoonotic tuberculosis in Namwala and the bordering areas in Kafue.
and this may suggest that the bacterium is transmitted between people and not just between cattle and humans.
In southwestern Madagascar trees are being harvested for cattle forage construction materials and firewood and the mining of limestone there--used for the production of cement fertilizer
and Distributions The Bubal hartebeest is extinct; the scimitar horned oryx is extinct in the wild;
and the African wild dog and African lion have vanished from the Sahara. Other species have fared only slightly better:
the dama gazelle and addax are gone from 99 percent of their range; the leopard from 97 percent and the Saharan cheetah from 90.
Only the Nubian ibex still inhabits most of its historical range but even this species is classified as vulnerable due to numerous threats including widespread hunting.
which harbors most of the world's 200 or so remaining wild addax and one of a handful of surviving populations of dama gazelle and Saharan cheetah.
There is also hope that the scimitar horned oryx may be reintroduced in the wild in the Ouadi Rim-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve with the support of the Chadian government.
A new study appearing in Springer's Journal of Materials Science may lend credence to that claim.
The above story is provided based on materials by Springer Science+Business Media. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
Rohani and colleagues say that such a phenomenon has recently been observed in controlled badger culls in the United kingdom where disruption of badger social dynamics and subsequent dispersal led to increased tuberculosis transmission in cattle at neighboring sites.
So says Diana Reckien of Columbia University in the US in a study published in Springer's journal Climatic Change that analysed the relevant strategic policies and planning documents of 200 urban areas in eleven European countries.
The above story is provided based on materials by Springer Science+Business Media. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.
and the development of rice agriculture and cattle domestication likely had an influence on methane emissions.
#New vaccine against lung diseases in goats and sheepan intranasal spray was developed using local isolated bacterium in Malaysia
or pneumonic diseases in goats and sheep that was developed and patented by its scientists. The soft launch of STVAC7 the first intranasal spray vaccine for goats
and sheep was officiated by the Deputy Minister of Science Technology and Innovation Datuk Dr Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah in a brief ceremony on 24.oct 2013.
since in Malaysia alone there were more than 600000 goats and sheep at present and the figure is expected to increase to 1 million by 2015 a growth rate of 12.1%as projected by the Veterinary Services Department.
or respiratory diseases of goats and sheep caused by bacteria. It was developed and produced using sophisticated recombinant technology
which unlike the imported vaccines has been demonstrated to provide protection against bacterium infection in the small ruminants like goats and sheep.
and the goats and sheep farmers could benefit from the STVAC7. The product itself is ready for the market
#Cows chomping on fresh grass, red clover produce omega milkfat is an important ingredient that has a material impact on the nutritional value texture taste shelf-life
How should dairy cattle be fed for their milk to contain more unsaturated fatty acids? Only scant research data are available on the effects on the lipid metabolism of ruminants of the forage conventionally used to feed dairy cows.
Anni Halmemies-Beauchet-Filleau who has worked as a researcher at MTT and at the University of Helsinki studied in her doctoral thesis the role of forage species and conservation method in ruminal lipid metabolism and milk fatty acid composition.
Fresh grass increases the share of oleic acidapproximately one half of milk fat is generated in the mammary glands of cows the other half coming from the fats in forage.
Cows fed on fresh grass use more fatty acids originating in adipose tissue to form milk fat than do other cows.
One such wolf which we call the megafaunal wolf preyed on large game such as horses bison and perhaps very young mammoths.
#Low levels of blood calcium in dairy cows may affect cow health, productivitythe health of dairy cows after giving birth plays a big factor in the quantity and quality of the milk the cows produce.
Now researchers at the University of Missouri have found that subclinical hypocalcemia which is the condition of having low levels of calcium in the blood
and occurs in many cows after giving birth is related to higher levels of fat in the liver.
John Middleton a professor in the MU College of Veterinary medicine says these higher levels of fat are often precursors to future health problems in cows.
We found that about 50 percent of dairy cows suffered subclinical hypocalcemia and subsequent higher levels of fat in the liver after giving birth to their calves Middleton said.
These higher levels of fat in the liver are tied often to health problems in dairy cows including increased risk for uterus and mammary infections as well as ketosis
which is a condition that results in the cows expending more energy than they are taking in through their diet.
All of these conditions can decrease the amount of milk these dairy cows will produce. Middleton along with Jim Spain MU vice provost for undergraduate studies and professor of dairy nutrition in the MU College of Agriculture Food and Natural resources studied 100 dairy cows over two
years to determine how subclinical hypocalcemia affected the health of the cows after they gave birth.
Previous research done at MU has found that these issues also have a negative impact on cow fertility and reproduction.
While the researchers did not find any direct links to health problems they say correlations with higher levels of fat in the liver call for further research into the health implications of low blood calcium levels.
Dairy cows begin producing milk after giving birth and continue for 11 to 12 months until they are dried off by a dairy farmer about 45-60 days before their next calving.
To maximize the health of the cows and the amount of quality milk dairy cows produce Middleton recommends paying close attention to dietary management in the late dry/early lactating period as well as providing supplemental sources of calcium during early
lactation for cows at risk for subclinical hypocalcemia. Because our study suggests some potential risks for health issues in dairy cows with subclinical hypocalcemia it is important for dairy farmers to monitor these levels in their cows Middleton said.
For herds experiencing a high incidence of subclinical hypocalcemia around the time of calving adding anionic salts to their diets
or providing calcium solutions orally or by injection at the time of calving could be beneficial to their overall health and productivity.
This study was published in the Journal of Diary Science and was featured a article selected by the journal's editor-in-chief in the November issue.
#Origins of cattle farming in China uncoveredan international team of researchers co-led by scientists at the University of York
and Yunnan Normal University has produced the first multi-disciplinary evidence for management of cattle populations in northern China around the same time cattle domestication took place in the Near east over 10000 years ago.
The domestication of cattle is a key achievement in human history. Until now researchers believed that humans started domesticating cattle around 10000 years ago in the Near east
which gave rise to humpless (taurine) cattle while two thousand years later humans began managing humped cattle (zebu) in Southern Asia.
However the new research which is published in Nature Communications reveals morphological and genetic evidence for management of cattle in north-eastern China around 10000 years ago around the same time the first domestication of taurine
cattle took place in the Near east. This indicates that humans may have started domesticating cows in more regions around the world than was believed previously.
A lower jaw of an ancient cattle specimen was discovered during an excavation in northeast China and was dated carbon to be 10660 years old.
The jaw displayed a unique pattern of wear on the molars which the researchers say is explained best to be the results of long-term human management of the animal.
Ancient DNA from the jaw revealed that the animal did not belong to the same cattle lineages that were domesticated in the Near east and South Asia.
The combination of the age of the jaw the unique wear and genetic signature suggests that this find represents the earliest evidence for cattle management in northeast China;
a time and place not previously considered as potential domestication centre for cattle. The research was led co in the Department of biology at the University of York by Professor Michi Hofreiter and Professor Hucai Zhang of Yunnan Normal University.
Professor Hofreiter said: The specimen is unique and suggests that similar to other species such as pigs
and dogs cattle domestication was probably also a complex process rather than a sudden event.
Johanna Paijmans the Phd student at York who performed the DNA analysis said: This is a really exciting example of the power of multi-disciplinary research;
and ancient DNA we have been able to place it in an even bigger picture of early cattle management.
Just because someone is allergic to cow's milk doesn't mean they are allergic to milk from all other animals said Dr. Bahna.
and then provided fodder once cattle were domesticated. The process is still underway in the region's pristine floodplains.
#The prevalence of colds and pneumonia in cows can be controlledrespiratory diseases in cattle are a great threat to animal welfare and lead to financial losses in the cattle industry.
The bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is one of the main causes of respiratory disease in cattle.
The BRS virus is equivalent to the human RS virus and causes most of the cases of serious pneumonia that lead to fatalities in calves and to epidemics
and infection distribution of the virus between Norwegian cattle herds and found that during the course of one year nearly half of the cattle herds were infected newly
while almost as many herds became free of infection. It therefore appears that the virus does not survive for a long time in one herd
Five calves in the herds were tested for antibodies against this virus and then again six months later.
and focusing on measures to combat infection in these herds ought to be effective strategies for limiting the prevalence and the consequences of BRSV infection in cattle.
The research group Viral infections in cattle at the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science which carried out this study is engaged currently in projects that seek to identify the most effective ways of preventing new infections in herds.
#Gene responsible for hereditary cancer found to disrupt growth-regulating cellular pathwaywhitehead Institute scientists report that the gene mutated in the rare hereditary disorder known as Birt-Hogg-Dub cancer syndrome
In the case of Birt-Hogg-Dub syndrome the mutated gene prevents mtorc1 pathway activation early in the formation of tumors.
In the early 2000s scientists determined that mutations in the gene coding for FLCN caused the rare cancer Birt-Hogg-Dub syndrome
Birt-Hogg-Dub syndrome causes unsightly but benign hair follicle tumors on the face benign tumors in the lungs that can lead to collapsed lungs and kidney cancer.
For Birt-Hogg-Dub syndrome patients and their families better understanding of FCLN's function moves the field one step closer to developing a therapy.
and herds of roaming bison. For the first time a research team led by the University of Colorado Boulder has gotten a peek at another vitally important
Currently the dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS) generated as a co-product are sold to the cattle-feed market
and a symbol of Africa--are on the verge of disappearing from the country's national parks. According to the results of a recent survey African lions in Uganda have decreased by more than 30 percent over the past 10 years in some areas of the country mostly the result of poisoning by local cattle
The study appears in the latest edition of the journal Oryx. The authors include: Edward Okot Omoya Tutilo Mudumba Paul Mulondo and Andrew J. Plumptre from WCS and Stephen T. Buckland of the University of St andrews. African lions are a vital component
They play an important role in disease control of antelopes and buffalo by killing the sick animals.
The researchers used a buffalo calf distress call (broadcast via speakers mounted on a vehicle roof rack) to attract both medium
It's very clear that historically infections have moved from buffalo to cattle says corresponding author Matthew Hall of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.
And in East Africa scientists found that a decline in wildebeest populations in the Serengeti-Mara grassland-savanna system decades ago allowed organic matter to accumulate
#Badgers ultimately responsible for around half of TB in cattlebadgers are ultimately responsible for roughly half of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in areas with high TB prevalence according to new estimates based on data from a previous badger culling trial.
However only around six per cent of infected cattle catch TB from badgers with onward transmission between cattle herds accounting for the remainder the study suggests.
Mathematical models based on data from the trial were used previously to calculate an estimate of the proportion of TB in cattle that could ultimately be attributed to transmission from badgers.
The new paper by scientists at Imperial College London provides a more detailed analysis. It estimates that badgers ultimately account for 52 per cent of cattle TB in areas where prevalence in cattle is high.
The mathematical model suggested that 5. 7 per cent*of transmission to cattle herds is from badgers to cattle with the rest of the contribution from badgers resulting from onward transmission between cattle herds.*
Cattle ranching is the main land use directly north of the lake. So one restoration practice is to pay ranchers to restore wetlands
There is something in that smell without any other cues--visual or tactile--that steers you toward the bakery.
#Secret of cattle ticks resistance to pesticidescientists have discovered how a tick which transmits devastating diseases to cattle has developed resistance to one of the main pesticides used to kill it.
Approximately 80%of cattle around the world mostly in the tropics and subtropics are exposed to the cattle tick--Rhipicephalis microplus
--which can cause anemia reduced rate of growth and death resulting in a major economic impact on farmers.
Prevention of disease is through frequent treatment of cattle with acarides-pesticides for ticks and mites--mainly amitraz ivermectins and pyrethroids but ticks have become increasingly resistant to these treatments.
The study was conducted on cattle at the University of Queensland's Pinjarra Hills Campus in Australia where the impact of ticks
and using tick-resistant cattle might all delay the development of resistance. However without empirical studies to test the value of the management strategies it is really impossible to provide evidence-based recommendations to farmers.
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