Genetic link between cattle temperament and autism in humans
Date:
August 27, 2020
Source:
University of Queensland
Summary:
Researchers have discovered that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans that are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli. The results open the way for research conducted on behavioral traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle.
Share:
FULL STORY
A strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans has been discovered by University of Queensland researchers.
UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his interdisciplinary team headed by Dr Roy Costilla could lead to improved animal welfare and meat quality.
"The research doesn't mean that cattle have autism; rather that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans which are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli," Professor Hayes said.
Temperament is an important trait for day-to-day management of cattle.
"We knew that genetic factors were likely influence temperament in cattle and we thought that genes involved in behavioural traits in humans could also influence temperament in cattle.
"We found that genes known to contribute to autism spectrum disorders also influence temperament in cattle."
Professor Hayes said the results were important as it opened the way for research conducted on behavioural traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle.
"As I've found talking to farmers over the years, it can be distressing having an animal that has a poor temperament in the mob, and stirs up all the other cattle putting them into a state of stress.
"If we can identify those animals early, or breed to eliminate them, we can potentially reduce the stress of the whole mob.
"That has great implications for welfare -- not only of the cattle but also the people handling the cattle who are less likely to be charged or kicked."
Professor Hayes said there was an association between a calmer temperament in cattle and better meat quality.
"The cattle industry's standard for measuring temperament is 'flight time' -- the speed in which cattle move after release from an enclosure," Professor Hayes said.
"What a producer wants is cattle that move calmly and slowly from the enclosure, rather than an animal that charges out in an aggressive or stressed state.
"Our study found flight time is about 35 percent heritable, which is very significant.
"It means you can make a lot of progress by breeding for better temperament -- it's about the same as milk production in dairy cattle, and we've made big breeding gains there."
Professor Hayes said the same genes were identified in other genomic research conducted on domestication of foxes.
"The same genes just come up again and again," he said. "Some DNA variants in those genes are more common in people with autism and, in cattle, some DNA variants in those same genes are found to make the cattle more fearful in new situations and have a reactive temperament."
It's the first time whole genome sequencing has been used to analyse temperament in beef cattle. Researchers looked at 28 million data points per animal on the 9,000 cattle with temperament records in the initial study, and then validated the results in over 80,000 cattle from Ireland.
Professor Hayes said his team would incorporate the temperament data into a panel of markers available for producers that would also provide breeding values for fertility.
"It means a producer will be able to use a sample of tail hair which contains DNA to quickly get information on the genetic value of their animals for temperament and fertility. The temperament analysis was conducted primarily in northern cattle Bos indicus breeds and was validated in Bos taurus cattle.
The study was a result of strong cooperation between Australian researchers, the beef industry and international collaborators from Ireland and Brazil.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Anatomy of Deception and Self-Delusion: Walter Lippmann on Public Opinion, Our Slippery Grasp of Truth, and the Discipline of Apprehending Reality Clearly
@silvermouse said:
Anatomy of Deception and Self-Delusion: Walter Lippmann on Public Opinion, Our Slippery Grasp of Truth, and the Discipline of Apprehending Reality Clearly
Sounds interesting, and timely. I remember I was taking Logic at college when the Senate was doing the hearings on the findings in the Kennedy assassinations. Made for some interesting CSPAN watching.
I managed to catch a lot of it, in between full time University and 3 part time jobs. Once all the thundering flatulence subsided, my distilled conclusion of the proceedings was: "We know what really happened, but we're not going to tell, or do anything about it, because the people involved are powerful and present today."
Transparency my foot.
On that note, it came to me the other day that our political parties have developed an interesting style for campaigning. They go straight for the gut, bypassing the brain altogether whenever possible.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
Started dune for the 12th time. Will finish it for the first time, hopefully.
Disclaimer: All trolling is provided for the sole entertainment purposes of the author only. Readers may find entertainment and hard core truths, but none are intended. Any resulting damaged feelings or arse chapping of the reader are the sole responsibility of the reader, to include, but not limited to: crying, anger, revenge pørn, and abandonment or deletion of ccom accounts. Offer void in Utah because Utah is terrible.
I'm on page 42 of the first one, which is about as far as I've ever gotten.
Disclaimer: All trolling is provided for the sole entertainment purposes of the author only. Readers may find entertainment and hard core truths, but none are intended. Any resulting damaged feelings or arse chapping of the reader are the sole responsibility of the reader, to include, but not limited to: crying, anger, revenge pørn, and abandonment or deletion of ccom accounts. Offer void in Utah because Utah is terrible.
Disclaimer: All trolling is provided for the sole entertainment purposes of the author only. Readers may find entertainment and hard core truths, but none are intended. Any resulting damaged feelings or arse chapping of the reader are the sole responsibility of the reader, to include, but not limited to: crying, anger, revenge pørn, and abandonment or deletion of ccom accounts. Offer void in Utah because Utah is terrible.
WARNING: The above post may contain thoughts or ideas known to the State of Caliphornia to cause seething rage, confusion, distemper, nausea, perspiration, sphincter release, or cranial implosion to persons who implicitly trust only one news source, or find themselves at either the left or right political extreme. Proceed at your own risk.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
I read this mighty mighty tome many many years ago, while solo on my schooner Eurydice at the time, passaging to New Caledonia; so ample time to be completely engrossed The only novel I have ever read that I wept at the end. Had to go back and re-read the final 20 pages several times, cause I was sobbing so hard that I couldn't see.
Poor Soames.
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
An interesting and informative article on Critical Social Justice Theory - that's what's been reshaping the progressive narrative and why it's so hard for many of us to actually understand what's being talked about in terms of progressive ideas. When people say the heart of America is being attacked, this is a big part of what they mean;
@First_Warrior said:
Captain Horatio Hornblower, Beat to Quarters, Ship Of the Line, and Flying Colors in one volume. C. S. Forester. Just started reading this.
Best ever.
“It has been a source of great pain to me to have met with so many among [my] opponents who had not the liberality to distinguish between political and social opposition; who transferred at once to the person, the hatred they bore to his political opinions.” —Thomas Jefferson (1808)
@First_Warrior said:
Captain Horatio Hornblower, Beat to Quarters, Ship Of the Line, and Flying Colors in one volume. C. S. Forester. Just started reading this.
Best ever.
I’m jealous of him knowing how much fun he’s going to have.
Comments
Yeh I think they are good readers. The author Mark Greaney also ghost wrote four Tom Clancy books.
https://www.counterpunch.org/2020/08/06/how-the-fascists-won-world-war-ii/
How the Fascists Won World War II
We buy their cars.
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
ants
https://theconversation.com/weve-been-looking-at-ant-intelligence-the-wrong-way-17619
https://theconversation.com/six-amazing-facts-you-need-to-know-about-ants-100478
https://theconversation.com/ant-undertakers-are-always-ready-to-take-one-for-the-team-20109
https://theconversation.com/antibiotic-resistance-fight-could-get-a-little-help-from-ants-91412
https://theconversation.com/how-ants-walk-backwards-carrying-a-heavy-load-and-still-find-home-59247
The Museum Of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman. Pretty good read.
"Never Tell" by Lisa Gardner.
Neonicotinoids and decline in bird biodiversity in the United States
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-020-0582-x
On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder. Great read for any time.
so, moo:
Genetic link between cattle temperament and autism in humans
Date:
August 27, 2020
Source:
University of Queensland
Summary:
Researchers have discovered that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans that are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli. The results open the way for research conducted on behavioral traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle.
Share:
FULL STORY
A strong association between the genes influencing cattle temperament and autism in humans has been discovered by University of Queensland researchers.
UQ genomic expert Professor Ben Hayes said the research by his interdisciplinary team headed by Dr Roy Costilla could lead to improved animal welfare and meat quality.
"The research doesn't mean that cattle have autism; rather that cattle share an overlap of genes with humans which are critical in brain function and response to fear stimuli," Professor Hayes said.
Temperament is an important trait for day-to-day management of cattle.
"We knew that genetic factors were likely influence temperament in cattle and we thought that genes involved in behavioural traits in humans could also influence temperament in cattle.
"We found that genes known to contribute to autism spectrum disorders also influence temperament in cattle."
Professor Hayes said the results were important as it opened the way for research conducted on behavioural traits in humans to shed further light on temperament in cattle.
"As I've found talking to farmers over the years, it can be distressing having an animal that has a poor temperament in the mob, and stirs up all the other cattle putting them into a state of stress.
"If we can identify those animals early, or breed to eliminate them, we can potentially reduce the stress of the whole mob.
"That has great implications for welfare -- not only of the cattle but also the people handling the cattle who are less likely to be charged or kicked."
Professor Hayes said there was an association between a calmer temperament in cattle and better meat quality.
"The cattle industry's standard for measuring temperament is 'flight time' -- the speed in which cattle move after release from an enclosure," Professor Hayes said.
"What a producer wants is cattle that move calmly and slowly from the enclosure, rather than an animal that charges out in an aggressive or stressed state.
"Our study found flight time is about 35 percent heritable, which is very significant.
"It means you can make a lot of progress by breeding for better temperament -- it's about the same as milk production in dairy cattle, and we've made big breeding gains there."
Professor Hayes said the same genes were identified in other genomic research conducted on domestication of foxes.
"The same genes just come up again and again," he said. "Some DNA variants in those genes are more common in people with autism and, in cattle, some DNA variants in those same genes are found to make the cattle more fearful in new situations and have a reactive temperament."
It's the first time whole genome sequencing has been used to analyse temperament in beef cattle. Researchers looked at 28 million data points per animal on the 9,000 cattle with temperament records in the initial study, and then validated the results in over 80,000 cattle from Ireland.
Professor Hayes said his team would incorporate the temperament data into a panel of markers available for producers that would also provide breeding values for fertility.
"It means a producer will be able to use a sample of tail hair which contains DNA to quickly get information on the genetic value of their animals for temperament and fertility. The temperament analysis was conducted primarily in northern cattle Bos indicus breeds and was validated in Bos taurus cattle.
The study was a result of strong cooperation between Australian researchers, the beef industry and international collaborators from Ireland and Brazil.
Now I want a steak.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
I've got a dog that we feel is "on the spectrum."
Anatomy of Deception and Self-Delusion: Walter Lippmann on Public Opinion, Our Slippery Grasp of Truth, and the Discipline of Apprehending Reality Clearly
https://www.brainpickings.org/2019/02/11/walter-lippmann-public-opinion
Sounds interesting, and timely. I remember I was taking Logic at college when the Senate was doing the hearings on the findings in the Kennedy assassinations. Made for some interesting CSPAN watching.
I managed to catch a lot of it, in between full time University and 3 part time jobs. Once all the thundering flatulence subsided, my distilled conclusion of the proceedings was: "We know what really happened, but we're not going to tell, or do anything about it, because the people involved are powerful and present today."
Transparency my foot.
On that note, it came to me the other day that our political parties have developed an interesting style for campaigning. They go straight for the gut, bypassing the brain altogether whenever possible.
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
That's because too few people use their brains these days.
Trapped in the People's Communist Republic of Massachusetts.
Started dune for the 12th time. Will finish it for the first time, hopefully.
How many books in are you? Stop after three, definitely after six, if you get nine deep all hope is lost.
I'm on page 42 of the first one, which is about as far as I've ever gotten.
LOL. To really enjoy Dune you have to be a teenage boy that doesn't have a summer job.
Exactly!!!
Perfect
Worked for me
"If you do not read the newspapers you're uninformed. If you do read the newspapers, you're misinformed." -- Mark Twain
A history of punctuation
How we came to represent (through inky marks) the vagaries of the mind, inflections of the voice, and intensity of feeling
https://aeon.co/essays/beside-the-point-punctuation-is-dead-long-live-punctuation
"The Neighbor" by Lisa Gardner.
The Forsyte Saga
by John Galsworthy
I read this mighty mighty tome many many years ago, while solo on my schooner Eurydice at the time, passaging to New Caledonia; so ample time to be completely engrossed The only novel I have ever read that I wept at the end. Had to go back and re-read the final 20 pages several times, cause I was sobbing so hard that I couldn't see.
Poor Soames.
An interesting and informative article on Critical Social Justice Theory - that's what's been reshaping the progressive narrative and why it's so hard for many of us to actually understand what's being talked about in terms of progressive ideas. When people say the heart of America is being attacked, this is a big part of what they mean;
https://battleswarmblog.com/?p=45535&fbclid=IwAR2yaQLcweVy4QcZHNBzrJSBJzAjeh_xRrGEMNYqLvMEtRdToT1GGL5SCjM
The Dark Wind Tony Hillerman 1982. I'm working my way through our local libraries collection.
Captain Horatio Hornblower, Beat to Quarters, Ship Of the Line, and Flying Colors in one volume. C. S. Forester. Just started reading this.
Best ever.
I’m jealous of him knowing how much fun he’s going to have.