Many thanks to genome scientists for giving us tastier sausages, for according to the Telegraph’s food and drink section, the best thing about the recently unveiled pig genome is that it will lead us to better bangers.

The announcement was made from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, UK, but the pig, a red-haired Duroc pig came from a farm at the University of Illinois, US.

“The pig is the ideal animal to look at lifestyle and health issues in the United States,” the AP reports Larry Schook as saying. Schook, from the University of Illinois in Champaign, led the DNA sequencing project.

The 98% complete genome sequence will be valuable to agriculturalists looking to improve pig breeding practices, look at their immunity to certain diseases, and also help preserve species fo rare, endangered pigs. And it might also help create a swine flu vaccine – but only for pigs (Daily Mail).

The pig genome is particularly useful because our porcine friends are like us in many ways that may not be obvious to the naked eye; they have similar psychology, behaviour and nutritional needs to us says WA today. Except I bet pigs don’t eat sausages.

Image: Scott Bauer – USDA, ARS, IS Photo Unit