Utilizing Gene Technology to Accelerate Pig Growth
Professor Robert Swaz, a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, United States, used genetic technology to increase the growth rate of pigs by 40%, speeding up the market for pork, and lowering the cost of feeding. The journal of Nature Biology reports that the key to this technology is the use of a synthetic chemical that allows the pig's pituitary gland to secrete more growth hormone than normal pigs. The researchers inserted the chemical into biodegradable DNA fragments and then injected DNA fragments containing the chemical into the pig's legs that were only two weeks old. In the two months after the injection, the weight of the pig reached 42 kg, compared with the normal pig weighing only 30 kg. This technique advances the pig's slaughter time. But scientists point out that further research is needed on the effectiveness of this method to understand whether this pork is safe for humans and whether it has a long-term negative effect on animals.