Korean researchers have successfully decoded the genome of the minke whale for the first time in the world.
 
A group of researchers from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, bio-science firm Theragen Etex and other institutes said they extracted the DNA of a minke whale and completed analysis of a genome sequence of around 20-thousand genes.
 
Through its findings, the team said the whale's genes involving the sense of vision, smell and taste fell behind those of cattle and pigs, while the genes resisting stresses caused by a lack of oxygen were superior.
 
A further study into the whale's resistance to a lack of oxygen is likely to help develop treatments for strokes and heart attacks in humans.
 
The research findings were published on Monday in Nature Genetics, an affiliate of the international journal Nature.