Asking someone whether they're chicken might have more meaning these days.
A group of international researchers at Michigan State University has decoded the genome of the chicken and found that the main ingredient of McDonald's (NYSE:MCD) Chicken McNuggets has a genetic code 60% similar to that of humans and a common ancestor that lived about 310 million years ago.
The chicken genome has 20,000 to 23,000 genes formed from 1 billion DNA letters. In contrast, the human genome contains about 3 billion such letters. Chickens and mammals have a similar number of genes; it's just that the chicken has less repetitive, superfluous DNA than do mammals.
The "genome" is all the chromosomes and DNA contained within an organism. It seems so long ago, but before the bursting of the Internet bubble, the race to decode the human genome was a Rule Breaker industry. Companies such as Celera Genomics (NYSE:CRA) captured the imagination as they were pitted against the federally funded Human Genome Project to be the first to break the code and disseminate the information to biotech firms to develop new drugs.
The chicken joins a growing list of organisms that have had their genome sequenced: dogs, mice and rats, fruit flies, roundworms, baker's yeast, puffer fish, even the E. coli bacterium. And, of course, humans. In all, more than 160 genomes have been sequenced, and more are under way. The chicken is the first bird to have its genome decoded, thus giving scientists a look into the primordial soup of the dinosaur.
The information gleaned from the sequencing of the chicken genome may lead to an understanding of why some broilers have less fat than others, information Tyson (NYSE:TSN) or Pilgrim's Pride (NYSE:PPC) might find of interest, while Cal-Maine (NASDAQ:CALM) might want to know why some chickens lay more eggs than others. A bigger chicken -- and bigger wings -- may catch the fancy of Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ:BWLD). Researchers may also develop virus-free birds that would rid the world of the avian flu that threatened Asia's chicken flocks.
While the scientists who decoded the genome found genes responsible for feathers, beaks, eggs, and a heretofore unrealized heightened sense of smell, they were unable to find a gene for tooth enamel, consequently making it as rare as hen's teeth.
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Fool contributor Rich Duprey has eaten his fair share of ancestors in the form of a grilled chicken breast sandwich. He does not own any of the stocks mentioned in this article.
