Wageningen University and Research Centre news

Genome analysis of 234 bulls has put researchers, including several from Wageningen Livestock Research, on the trail of DNA variants which influence particular characteristics in breeding bulls. For example, two variants have proven responsible for disruptions to the development of embryos and for curly hair, which is disadvantageous because more ticks and parasites occur in curly hair than in short, straight hair. These are the first results of the large 1000 Bull Genomes project on which so

The National Food Institute, part of the Technical University of Denmark, and LEI Wageningen UR made an analysis of the antibiotic use in pigs in Denmark and The Netherlands. The analysis shows that in 2012, The Netherlands used approximately 20% less antibiotics in pigs than Denmark. For several years now, Denmark is known for its low veterinary antibiotic use.

However, the overall average sales of antibiotics will still be higher in The Netherlands than in Denmark

Micro-algae can grow on undiluted human urine. This offers opportunities for new water purification methods and perhaps even for converting urine into usable chemical substances and biofuels.

Researcher Kanjana Tuantet published the results of tests on algae that had been grown on undiluted urine in the September edition of the scientific Journal of Applied Phycology. Her study showed that the algae thrived on urine, growing almost as quickly as on the substrates that are usually used