Via the Facebook page of Home Grown: Ireland comes a wonderful little programme from RTE on the history of oats in Ireland, from weed to significant crop, including an interview with a grower who seems to be every stereotype about Irish farmers rolled into one irresistible package. Apparently around 1200 AD the Anglo-Norman parts of Ireland grew mainly bread wheat, whereas oats was the main crop in the bits under Gaelic control. Check out the photos too. The genebank in Kildare referred to is the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food’s Cereal Genebank at Backweston, Leixlip, Co. Kildare.
Agriculture and people
So, “agricultural expansion is the principal factor for shaping global linguistic diversity,” and indeed human genetic diversity, both in Europe and Japan. Further evidence for Bellwood’s controversial thesis.
Yes, why not, the oldest horse breed in the world
Quick, what’s the oldest horse breed still in existence? Well, apparently, it’s the Caspian or Māzandarān Horse, and remains have recently been found in a cemetery dating back to 3400 BCE. Perhaps I should find it hard to believe one can recognize a breed from a skeleton, but I choose to suspend any disbelief I may have, because I like the story.
The Caspian horse was thought to have disappeared into antiquity, until 1965 when the American wife of an Iranian aristocrat called Louise Firouz went on an expedition on horseback and discovered small horses in the Iranian mountainous regions south of the Caspian Sea.
It happens to be very genetically diverse, which may suggest survival of wild horses in a Holocene refugium. Will they try to extract ancient DNA from the skeleton? Gosh, I do hope so. Via.
Nibbles: GM in Africa, Bananas and Dates, Nutrition
- “The GM debate is about more than biosafety.” SciDev.net’s editor tells it like it is.
- Jeremy gets into a historical tiz about turning dates into bananas.
- One take on a report for USAID suggesting food aid could be more nutritious.