Sharon has a genetic mutation that means she has straight lustrous wool, described as being more like Angora goat hair than a normal sheep.
Researchers hope that studying her will help them with various projects, such as hair identification at crime scenes, to producing better hair products.
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Sheep wool is similar to human hair, so the researchers hope studying this mutation can answer some questions about the structure of human hair and why it varies between individuals.
“For example, why does some people’s hair frizz up when it’s humid?
"That’s of a lot of interest to personal care companies, because we really don’t quite understand what makes it happen to people. The sheep provide the link,” says Duane Harland, wool project leader at New Zealand’s AgResearch science company.
Straight-wooled sheep often suffer from genetic defects similar to some of those suffered by humans.
These “Felting Lustre” mutants could help alleviate human suffering.
Economic benefit
There is also economic benefit. New Zealand sheep farmers are struggling to earn enough from ordinary wool, but by breeding Sharon’s mutation into hardier varieties could provide them with highly-profitable animals.
“What we are trying to do is differentiate wool to provide a market and make it viable again,” says Jeff Plowman, a wool researcher at AgResearch.
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Sharon has a genetic mutation that means she has straight lustrous wool, described as being more like Angora goat hair than a normal sheep.
Researchers hope that studying her will help them with various projects, such as hair identification at crime scenes, to producing better hair products.
Sheep wool is similar to human hair, so the researchers hope studying this mutation can answer some questions about the structure of human hair and why it varies between individuals.
“For example, why does some people’s hair frizz up when it’s humid?
"That’s of a lot of interest to personal care companies, because we really don’t quite understand what makes it happen to people. The sheep provide the link,” says Duane Harland, wool project leader at New Zealand’s AgResearch science company.
Straight-wooled sheep often suffer from genetic defects similar to some of those suffered by humans.
These “Felting Lustre” mutants could help alleviate human suffering.
Economic benefit
There is also economic benefit. New Zealand sheep farmers are struggling to earn enough from ordinary wool, but by breeding Sharon’s mutation into hardier varieties could provide them with highly-profitable animals.
“What we are trying to do is differentiate wool to provide a market and make it viable again,” says Jeff Plowman, a wool researcher at AgResearch.
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