By: Peter Hackett and Ruth Higdon On March 7th 2016 we flew from Delhi to Guwahati, in Assam State, where we hired a car and driver and in two days of treacherous driving reached the small town of Dirang. The Brahmaputra River separates Assam State from the state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is a special… Continue reading Visit to the National Research Center on Yak, in Dirang, Arunachal Pradesh, India
Category: Yak Science
Answers About Yak Genetics
BY: Peter Hackett, MD Q) What is genetic testing? Genetic tests analyze segments of an animal’s DNA, usually genes. DNA comes in two types, nuclear DNA and mitochondrial DNA. Mitochondrial DNA consists of only a few genes, and only governs how cells convert nutrients into energy. When people talk about DNA they are almost always… Continue reading Answers About Yak Genetics
Yak facts: Did You Know?
By Dr. Peter Hackett -Yaks have 30 chromosomes, 20,000 genes, and over 3 billion base pairs in their DNA-Yaks descended from a common ancestor of cattle, bison, banteng and gaur-Yaks genetically diverged from cattle 4.9 million years ago-Yaks were domesticated on the Tibetan Plateau about 7500 years ago-This permitted human expansion in that area-Domestication may… Continue reading Yak facts: Did You Know?
USYAKS Helps With Genetics Discovery
Pictured on the dais are the researchers involved in this work: Drs. Edward S. Rice, Jessica Petersen, Theodore Kalbfleisch, Tim Hardy and Peter Hackett. Not pictured are Drs. Timothy Smith, Michael Heaton and Sergey Koren. Scientists Construct New Yak Reference Genome San Diego, January 16, 2019 Scientists, led by Dr. Timothy Smith of the USDA,… Continue reading USYAKS Helps With Genetics Discovery
The Brokpa Yaks: A Dying Breed?
Climate change is affecting yaks and their Brokpa herders in the northeastern Indian Himalayas.By Bikash Kumar Bhattacharya Yaks’ extensive presence in the snow-clad alpine and subalpine Himalayas makes the landscape look like a crumpled white sheet punctuated with shaggy black dots. And, in the cradle of these mountains, depending entirely on yak produce — milk,… Continue reading The Brokpa Yaks: A Dying Breed?
Reproduction in female yaks (Bos grunniens) and opportunities for improvement
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Is the yak (Poephagus grunniens L.) really a seasonal breeder?
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Yak Fiber Study
by Kat TyleeLittle Hawk Yarns Yak Study After having the opportunity to judge yak fiber at the National Western Stock Show in 2020, I went searching for definitive information about yak fiber characteristics. There was little to be found, other than a few articles stating that yak down fiber runs between 15-19 microns and often… Continue reading Yak Fiber Study
How to Collect DNA Samples
Updated: Aug 6, 2020 GeneSeek, the company doing the initial DNA analysis for USYAKS will accept properly collected yak DNA in four sample types: two different hair sample methods, blood and tissue. The choice is yours. Ordering materials and equipment to take the samples depending on which method is selected and their associated costs are… Continue reading How to Collect DNA Samples