The Little Book of Irish Science SFI Little Book of Irish Science | Page 67

The Prehistoric Cow
64
Back up the road at University College Dublin, scientists
from the School of Agriculture and Food Science are also
studying cattle genomes, only their focus is on ancient
Irish and British livestock. Prof David MacHugh and a
cohort of national and international collaborators have
determined that thousands of years ago, a now-extinct
species of giant wild cattle, the aurochs, crossbred
with the ancestors of modern cattle in Britain and
Ireland. Studying the genomes of the aurochs and the
descendants of these great beasts will have a profound
impact on breeding programmes in dairy and beef cattle.
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