Building a Better Cow

Filed in archive General Health on May 29, 2007

There's so much work being done with genetics these days. If you alter the genetic makeup, you alter the animal, human or otherwise. Now scientists in New Zealand are trying to improve on the cow. Ivanhoe Medical Breakthroughs reports:

They're working on a breed that will deliver only skim milk and another they believe will produce milk low in saturated fats and high in polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fat. The result will be a butter that's easy to spread right out of the refrigerator.

Other possibilities could be cows that produce full fat milk that's actually good for you because it only contains good fats -- something that would be most welcome by anyone who's tired of cereal with low fat or skim milk in the morning.

Argentina has also been trying to improve the cow. DNA News tells us:

Argentine scientists have successfully produce a transgenic cow that carries in its chromosomes the human gene of insulin. According to the experts, this achievement could result in lower prices of human insulin, currently being produced from goat by only two pharma companies worldwide.