The following is an edited excerpt.
A duck has successfully fathered a chicken at the Central Veterinary Research Laboratory in Dubai.
Researchers injected a duck’s germ cells — carrying DNA to produce eggs and sperm — into the reproductive organs of a chicken embryo; once the chicken matured, it began to produce the duck’s sperm. Initially looking to genetically modify chicken to produce more fertile hens (the global poultry industry currently maintains some 50 billion chickens), these scientists are now planning to use this technique to allow hens to lay eggs of other birds, including ducks, songbirds, hawks or eagles.
Read the full article here: Next, the Turducken: Scientists Say a Duck Has Fathered a Chicken