All modern cows descended from single herd

A genetic study of cattle has claimed that all modern domesticated bovines are descended from a single herd of wild ox, which lived 10,500 years ago.

A team of geneticists from the National Museum of Natural History in France, the University of Mainz in Germany, and UCL in the UK excavated the bones of domestic cattle on archaeological sites in Iran, and then compared those to modern cows.

The team found that the differences that show up between the two populations could only have arisen if a relatively small number of animals -- approximately 80 -- had been domesticated from a now-extinct species of wild ox, known as aurochs, which roamed across Europe and Asia.

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Growing number of farm animals spawn new diseases

A growing number of livestock, such as cows and pigs, are fueling new animal epidemics worldwide and posing more severe problems in developing countries as it threatens their food security, according to a report released by the International Livestock Research Institute. Seventy-five percent of emerging infectious diseases originate in animals. Of these 61 percent are transmissible between animals and humans. A new disease emerges every four months; many are trivial but HIV, SARS and avian influenza illustrate the huge potential impacts. The report warned that rapid urbanization and climate change could act as "wild cards," altering the present distribution of diseases, sometimes "dramatically for the worse." Source

Two-headed calf wows villagers in Georgia

The brown-haired baby cow, born Jan. 2, has to be bottle-fed by its owner, Irakli Dzhgarkava, because its mother refuses to feed it. Source

Rare 'panda cow' born in CO

A rare miniature cow with markings similar to a panda was born on a farm in northern Colorado. Farmer Chris Jessen raises miniature cattle and also owns a miniature kangaroo on his hobby farm. The miniature panda cow is the result of genetic manipulation. A white belt encircles the animal's midsection, and the cow has a white face with black ovals around the eyes, giving it a panda-like appearance. The mini-cattle are bred solely as pets. Jessen says panda calves can sell for $30,000. Source Photo: AP

Save this bull

This two-week-old calf, named "Ha-chan" after the word "heart," was born at a dairy farm 40 kilometres from Tokyo. The farmer noticed the clear, love-heart-shaped pattern on the forehead the morning after he was born. He's now a local celebrity but if no-one can give him a home he will have to be sold for meat. An appeal has been made in Japan to save the baby "Valentine" bull born with a heart-shaped pattern on his forehead from the butcher's shop. Source

A lot of bull

Chilli is a black and white Friesian bullock who weighs well over a ton and at the same height as a small elephant, casts a shadow over his cattle companions who are about 5 ft. Chilli is 6 feet tall, so his owners have contacted the Guinness Book of Records who are currently assessing his credentials and comparing them to other big bovines. The heifer, who is almost as high as he is long, lives at the Ferne Animal Sanctuary in Chard, Somerset, after he was left on their doorstep aged just six-days-old. Source: Daily Mail via Neatorama

A lot of bull!

The Field Marshal, a six-year-old Charolais bull, is now 6ft 3in and weighs 3,000lb. He will not be fully grown until he is eight and is expected to pile on another 650lb in the next year. That will take him past the current British record-holder, his former stablemate The Colonel, who stood 6ft 5in tall and weighed 3,500lb. He died in 2005.