November 16, 2020

Eat This Podcast: Where did the chicken cross the road?

Hello

Not so long ago, the only clues we had to animal domestication came from archaeological digs, and the origin stories they told were vague and unsatisfying. More recently, molecular biology has come to the rescue in the form of DNA sequences, which can even be extracted from very old bones. Better yet, it has become routine to sequence DNA from all manner of living creatures, and those sequences can shed light on ancient events even when there are no bones in the picture.

Olivier Hanotte, one of the foremost experts on DNA and livestock domestication, shared the latest stories on chickens, sheep and cattle.

Take a listen.

All the best

Jeremy

Thanks to ILRI/Stevie Mann for the banner photo.