We have created SWINGER, the first computer software with an algorithm that uses information from DNA to match-make endangered animals for captive breeding.
A quick look at the popularity of online dating services shows us that people are pretty comfortable with letting an algorithm choose them a mate. Now we want to do a similar thing for other animals. With human-driven extinctions on the rise, many species are likely to be left relying on captive breeding for their survival. We hope that our algorithm will help ensure these breeding programs are successful, by pairing up matches who will have healthy, thriving offspring. Our program was recently published in Molecular Ecology Resources.
See our cool article about SWINGER at The Conversation
