Monthly Archives: March 2014

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Fast Company just profiled a New York City startup called Genetic Ink, which aims to produce art based on human even pet! DNA.

Now you can buy art created from your DNA: f-st.co/PXKBEYE http://t.co/dAQRj2OtYy

The company will send consumers a DNA collection kit, and they will have to send a cheek swab back. DNA from dogs and cats can be imaged as well. In its FDA-approved lab, the startup will use an algorithm to sequence the DNA, and it keeps samples anonymous to protect clients privacy. The artwork can be produced in 17 different colors and four different sizes, and can reportedly range from $200 for a 12-by-16-inch canvas to $700 for a 3-by-4-foot one.

It is the latest example of DNA being used to create art. In fact, last year, artist Heather Dewey-Hagborg made headlines for making 3D faces from genetic material on cigarette butts, gum, and strands of hair that she picked up off of the street.

While critics have called that kind of work very creepy, Alex Pyatetsky, a senior advisor at Genetic Ink, told Fast Company, We can express your DNA in a way that really expresses you, and it can be beautiful.

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Startup Says It Can Turn You and Your Cats DNA into Works of Art

ABC A new DNA test has nearly 100 per cent accuracy to test whether a bull will develop horns.

Dehorning, the confronting and bloody procedure many in the beef industry feared would be its next animal welfare flashpoint, could soon be a thing of the past.

A $25 DNA test, which identifies whether a bull carries the gene for horns or not, means producers can now confidently and quickly breed horned animals out of their herds.

"Using normal breeding practices it would take 39 years, but the new Poll Gene Marker test reduces that down to eight years," former Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) CEO Scott Hansen said.

"This is a great breakthrough for the industry. It's been a really transformational piece of work."

A DNA test was released four years ago with one gene marker, but there were accuracy problems with some breeds.

The new test identifies 10 gene markers for polledness - animals born without horns - and has nearly 100 per cent accuracy across all breeds.

The RSPCA, which wants dehorning phased out, has praised the beef industry for investing grower levies in animal welfare research.

"Even though it will take some years, it's great to see an industry be progressive and look at ways for reducing or indeed eliminating procedures that are painful for animals," the RSPCA's Melina Tensen said.

"It's absolutely fabulous. Farmers now have this option that they can use to basically eliminate the need for dehorning."

Read more:
DNA test presents possible solution for beef industry's dehorning procedures