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Show .Campus.Rews Now ON REGULAR PRICE $430 ^Student must presetnt: school schedule on SALE! Sale applies to High School Students also! Those under 18, must have parent sign release. Swtl Patterson/xottnoonan@c(.usu.edu A SHEEP TAKES a break from eating at one of Utah State University's farms on Wednesday. USU researchers are working to create a complete map of the sheep genome. Please call 4351563.5677 for" appointment to purchase your pass. ^ 4 3 5 1 Eas>t 700 North [\^ 'Logan wwwikithebeaV.com USU maps sheep genome Russ FULLER Staff Writer m 0 u nt a i n Quik Payday Pays More. Since 1993 Utah State University agriculture researchers have been working with the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center and research firms from Australia, France and New Zealand to create a complete map of the sheep genome. USU researchers are primarily working on Radiation Hybrid Panel technology that uses small busts of radiation to break down chromosome structures into individual chunks of DNA that can be isolated and then sequenced, and the sequencing procedure itself, said Noelle Cockett USU interim provost and deaon of the College of Agriculture. DNA sequencing involves finding the location of individuals genes in a chromosome, identifying the role the gene plays in the cellular metabolism of the organism, and then explicating the actual sequence of nucleotide bases that the gene is composed of. Genes act as blue-prints for enzymes, molecular catalysts which direct all chemical reactions in a cell. Researchers then isolate individual genes and place them into bacteria when are then stored and indexed into a BAC end sequence and made available to researchers all over the world who can then grow large large amounts of the genetic material for their own research, Cockett said. Some problems researchers are likely to work on with the finished sheep genome map are ways to improve the amount and quality of wool grown by sheep, ways to decrease the fat content of lamb meat and ways to improve the animal's resistance to parasites. Cures for congenital genetic disorders, which impair the development of the organism will also be researched. Ways to improve the fertility and reproductive cycles of sheep will also be researched, Cockett said. In the United States, where consumptions of lamb meat is low compared to pork, beef and chicken, trade organizations are keen to taylor their product to American sensibilities. Funding for this research has come from the USDA and the USU. Similar genome mapping projects, such as a similar concsotium lead by the national center for biotechnology information to map the complete genome of the cow, have cost in excess of $50 million, Cockett said. USU has received $ 1 million to create a BAC end Sequence of about 3 percent of the total or 2,000 genes and Cockett, is seeking another $5 million from the USDA to expand this aspect of the research. Cockett hopes to have the 3 percent BAC end Sequence completed in two to three years and that the entire map to be done by 2010. -russfulter@cc.usu.edu Chronic wasting disease detected in Colo, moose; first in species BY JON SARCHE Associated Press Writer DENVER (AP) - A moose killed earlier this month in northern Colorado has tested positive for chronic wasting disease, apparently the first of its species known to have contracted the fatal neurological disorder in the wild, state wildlife officials said Thursday. An archer killed the moose near Cameron Pass in Jackson County on Sept. 10, and testing two days later confirmed the presence of the disease, said Kathi Green, disease management coordinator for the state Division of Wildlife. More testing is being conducted, but she said the test performed earlier this month is the same test used to confirm preliminary results in elk and deer. "Our veterinarians have looked at the slides and felt the diagnosis was correct," she said. Chronic wasting disease, a fatal and transmissible brain ailment similar to mad cow disease, has previously been found only in deer and elk in the wild. It was too early to say whether the news would affect moose management or prompt changes in the agency's strategy for handling chronic wasting disease, Green said. "It's important to keep in mind that because of moose social habits - they tend to be pretty solitary - we think that cases in moose are likely to be a pretty rare occurrence," Green said. Scientists have found no evidence the disease can be transmitted to humans, but wildlife officials advise hunters not to eat meat from infected animals and to avoid eating nervous-system tissue and some other types of tissue from all deer and elk. Hunters in Colorado have submitted 288 moose for testing for chronic wasting disease since 2002. Such testing became mandatory in 2003. Nearly 13,000 deer and elk were submitted for testing from August 2004 to April 2005. Of those animals, 175 tested positive for chronic wasting, the Division of Wildlife said. Division of Wildlife spokesman Tyler Baskfield said researchers at the University of Wyoming have been able to intentionally infect a captive moose. "We were ready for this to be a possibility," Baskfield said. "I'm sure that the scientific community and our biologists and veterinarians will have to r* revisit and look into what this means in terms of game man- '* agement." The disease has been found'in deer and elk in Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska; and •' in deer in Utah, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Illinois, New York and West Virginia, and in the Canadian-1 provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, Green said. s The FRESH THIMKIWG • HEALTHY EATIMG 505 E 1400 North #170 (435) 792-3331 Per/Hour Family Night! Can You Say, "Cha-ching?" 10% OFF That's right - $8.50 per hour from the get-go. No wating. No tricks. Throw in medical, dental and vision insurance, discounted Sports Academy memberships and seven schedules to choose from, and you'll see why so many Aggies choose Quik Payday. any order of 4 or more, plus FREE delivery USU Student Night! $1 OFF Apply TODAY at our website: www.jobs.quikpayday.com or call Kasey at 774-8213. Qutm TAYD Financial Solutions W/StUfJent ID! (After5PM) .COM Online H o u r s : Sunday Noon- 2AM Mon- Wed Thurs-Sat 10:30AM-2AM 10:30AM-4AM ' • * * * ' • |