New Paper Alert: Exploring Racing Pigeon Genetics
My first non-equine paper explores whether variation in the PPARD gene may be linked to racing performance in pigeons.
New paper alert! My first non-equine paper is out—and this time, the athletes are racing pigeons. We explored whether variation in PPARD, a gene involved in how muscles use energy, might be linked to racing performance.
We combined DNA from 115 pigeons with records from 2,694 races. We found three variants in PPARD. One was associated with how often the birds raced, although the number of starts can also reflect health, training and the owner’s decisions. The same variant showed promising, but not statistically conclusive, patterns for speed and overall race performance. This makes PPARD an interesting candidate for further study—not a genetic shortcut for picking a champion.
This paper is the fruit of a collaboration that began during my 2022 externship at the National Institute for Animal Production in Balice, Poland. It is especially meaningful to see that collaboration reach publication, and to celebrate my first paper outside equine research.
I contributed to validating the study, visualizing the results, and reviewing and editing the manuscript.