Animal breeding deals with selecting and mating domesticated animals to improve desirable traits. Because breeding and husbandry are inseparable from animal health, they were integrated into the Vienna veterinary curriculum as early as 1765 under Maria Theresa.

Importantly, the practical challenge of improving complex, continuously varying livestock traits became the primary catalyst for the birth of quantitative genetics. Long before molecular tools existed, animal breeders developed mathematical models to separate environmental factors from genetic variance, establishing the foundation for polygenic inheritance.

During the 20th century, the rise of molecular biology revolutionized the field by uncovering the actual physical mechanisms behind these mathematical models. By identifying specific genes, DNA markers, and regulatory pathways, molecular biology turned abstract statistical probabilities into tangible biological realities. This fusion of quantitative models with molecular insights accelerated breeding accuracy through assisted reproduction and epigenetics.

The advent of next-generation sequencing transitioned this molecular foundation into the era of genomics, while transgenetics revolutionized animal biotechnology. Today, this intersection is critical to modern biology. While early genomics sought single "major" genes, molecular data has instead validated the omnigenic model. This model reveals that nearly all genes expressed in a tissue interact via complex molecular networks to influence a trait, proving that complex biology