What historical and modern genomes can reveal

A 2025 Faverolle study compared DNA from modern birds and museum specimens through whole-genome sequencing. The authors looked for runs of homozygosity: stretches in which the two inherited chromosome copies share the same variants. Such regions can offer evidence about population history, selection and relatedness.

They identified several regions and discussed genes previously associated with metabolism, growth, reproduction and development. These candidate associations are not proof that every listed gene causes a particular Faverolles trait. The authors suggested that past selection for table qualities may have helped maintain some regions, but the study did not establish a universal flavor score or growth rate. Museum material adds a temporal comparison that modern photographs cannot provide. It helps connect conservation with historical genetic change while leaving the limits of the sampled population explicit.