Your beer and whiskey could be getting a lot better, thanks to science. Apparently researchers have opened another can of beer altogether, since they have unlocked the genetic code of barley, a key ingredient in both beer and spirits.  This could not only improve yields and disease resistance but may also hold the key to better beer.

"This research will streamline efforts to improve barley production through breeding for improved varieties," said Professor Robbie Waugh, of Scotland's James Hutton Institute, who led the research, as quoted on Reuters.

The research was published in Nature. The barley genome is nearly double the size of the human genome with more than 32,000 genes. It's 12 times the size of the rice genome. Manipulating the barley genome, according to NBCNews.com, could lead to barley variants that are ideal for producing better batches of beer and whiskey.

For beer, barley is used during the malting process. During this important step, enzymes are created that break down starches into sugars. Barley is primarily used in Scottish and Irish whiskeys. Rye, wheat and corn tend to be used more in whiskeys made in U.S.

Armed with this information breeders and scientists will be much better placed to deal with the challenge of effectively addressing the food security agenda under the constraints of a rapidly changing environment.

Again, while we might run out of fish and meat in the future, chances are likely that, thanks to research results like this, there will be no fear of the world ever running out of good beer or whiskey.

Getting high might never be the same again.

*NB:What's this tipsy thing called Genome? In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, inRNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA.

[Tipsy note: The Earth is the only planet that has beer and Whiskey]