Wednesday, 05 February 2020 11:16

Life saving cows

Written by  Milking It

Research on a herd of cows in southwest Scotland could play a part in helping humans live longer and healthier lives, scientists have said.

The study of their DNA by Scotland’s Rural College was carried out at the Crichton Royal Farm in Dumfries.

It found telomeres - which protect the end of chromosomes - deteriorate the most soon after birth, indicating how long and healthily an animal may live.

It could help human geneticists looking at how to prolong our life expectancy.

Work suggests that telomere length in humans affects ageing in as much as young humans have long telomeres and old humans have short telomeres.

Featured

Editorial: The Value of Credibility

OPINION: In politics, credibility is and should be big. It must surely rank higher than charisma, which is quite trite and superficial. Yet, voters nowadays are often wooed and influenced by how someone looks or talks at a superficial level. TV plays a huge role in this.

Kaikōura Families Get School Run Lifeline After Storm

Kaikōura families affected by July's severe storm have found a practical solution to a problem that's kept some children away from regular schooling for weeks: a washed-out section of Inland Kaikōura Road, which has stopped the local school bus from running its usual route.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Domestic Focus

OPINION: After hogging the media limelight for telling a NZ Chinese MP to "go back home", Winston Peters has decided…

A No-Brainer

OPINION: With fuel prices soaring, one would have expected most farmers to be reclaiming excise duty on petrol.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter