Scientists on the lookout for ugly sheep

kunsjoi reports that Australian scientists are on the lookout for ugly sheep. It seems that attractive sheep are all the rage in the woolgathering set, but sheep with genetic imperfections may be able to tell researchers something about what makes a good wool-grower, so they’re asking farmers to hand them over before they’re sent for slaughter. The goal seems to be to make merino wool better able to compete with synthetic fibres, but if you ask me, they’d be better off working on campaigns to stop museling mulesing, a.k.a. the removal, with shears, of a chunk of skin from the rear of the sheep. With practices like that in mind, synthetics feel all kinds of better. Link.