The analysis of DNA inherited from a single parent has
provided valuable insights into the history of human and animal
populations. However, until recently we
had insufficient information to be able to investigate the paternal lines of
the domestic horse. This gap has been filled by Barbara Wallner and colleagues
at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, who present information on
the genetic variability in the horse Y chromosome and show how various breeds
of the modern horse are interrelated. The results have just been published in
the prestigious online journal PLOS ONE.