The Swine Genome Sequencing Consortium has completed the task of sequencing the DNA of a pig and placing all of that data available online for free. Is it now possible to improve bacon through genetic engineering? The study's authors think so:
Tastier pork could certainly be an outcome of this research, too, Schook and Dekkers say. What makes a pig tasty, however, is subject to debate and cultural preference. In some parts of Asia, Schook notes, breeders value fat content more than American breeders do. [...]
Pig producers would also like to find genes that would make swine grow faster and eat less, especially with prices rising for the corn and soybeans that go into pig feed.
"The key," Dekkers says, "is really understanding more about the underlying genes that make a pig a better pig."
So we might end up with not only better bacon, but cheaper bacon! There's a risk, but it's worth it.
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