CLUCK QUACK

Chicken Has Duck for a Father

Scientists in Dubai crossbred the animals.

This will make for some crazy family reunions. Scientists in Dubai have successfully bred a chicken with a duck’s DNA as its father. Yes, you read that right: scientists injected the cells a duck uses to produce eggs and sperm into the organs of a chicken embryo, and the chicken began to produce the duck’s sperm as it matured. Initially part of an experiment to increase hens’ fertility, scientists now say they may soon allow hens to lay eggs of other birds, including ducks, songbirds, hawks, and eagles. The larger goal: to bring back extinct species, according to a recent TED talk. The earth is sure going to look strange in the next few years.