Fertile Crescent

European immigrants introduced farming to prehistoric North Africa, new research shows

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星期二, 一月 30, 2024

Fertile Crescent, Research, Farmer, Animal, DNA, Agriculture, Sheep, Pea, Genetics, Mauretania Tingitana, Ceramic, Cultural evolution, Gene pool, Mesolithic, River, Goat, Genome, Pottery

It was a period that drove great change in the evolution of human society.

Key Points:

It was a period that drove great change in the evolution of human society.
Around 8,500 years ago, members of farming communities crossed the Aegean Sea, bringing techniques similar to those used in Anatolia to Greece and the Balkans.

The Neolithic age reaches the Iberian Peninsula

Agriculture first appeared on the Iberian Peninsula around 7,600 years ago.
On the Iberian peninsula, the practices that Neolithic populations brought with them were similar to those that had appeared a few centuries earlier in Italy.
In a relatively short time, these populations came to occupy the entire Iberian peninsula, where they underwent rapid cultural evolution.

Crossing the Gibraltar strait

These groups did not seem to have pottery, at least not those in the northern Maghreb.
There, the hunter gatherer population did seem to have pottery, specifically in areas such as present day Mali, Niger and Sudan.
Agricultural innovations included cereal crops (wheat and barley) and legumes (beans, peas and lentils), as well as rearing sheep and goats.

How innovation spread

Such developments raise the question of whether these innovations could have spread from the Iberian peninsula.
The study of human remains dating from this period, discovered in Kaf Taht el-Ghar, near Tétouan in Morocco, have provided answers.
This appears to be evidence of the local population simply adopting neolithic practices without assimilating into a new society.

Following the ceramic trail

These had mottled decorations and, often, rope impressions similar to those seen in the Sahara.
They seem to be descended from Neolithic populations, not from Anatolia but from the Mediterranean Levant (Middle East).
The gene pool of the region’s present population is a union – formed over millions of years – of three continents.

Rafael M Martínez Sánchez no recibe salario, ni ejerce labores de consultoría, ni posee acciones, ni recibe financiación de ninguna compañía u organización que pueda obtener beneficio de este artículo, y ha declarado carecer de vínculos relevantes más allá del cargo académico citado.

Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago – here's how

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星期四, 八月 3, 2023

Borneo, People, Lizard, Extrapyramidal system, Darkness, DNA, Lion, Human, Food, Painting, Wolf, Fertile Crescent, Household, African wildcat, Nursing, Number, Tiger, Fear, Aggression, Research, Brain, Attention, Civilization, Cat, Explosion, Animal, Population, Dog, Pet, Domestication, GLARE, Environment, Gene, Behavior, Hunting, African, Savanna

One of the greatest thrills was going out at night looking for predators on the prowl: lions, leopards, hyenas.

Key Points:

One of the greatest thrills was going out at night looking for predators on the prowl: lions, leopards, hyenas.
As we drove through the darkness, though, our spotlight occasionally lit up a smaller hunter – a slender, tawny feline, faintly spotted or striped.
The glare would catch the small cat for a moment before it darted back into the shadows.
Clearly, the few evolutionary changes the domestic cat has made have been the right ones to wangle their way into people’s hearts and homes.

Why the African wildcat?

In theory, any of these species could have been the progenitor of the domestic cat, but recent DNA studies demonstrate unequivocally that today’s housecats arose from the African wildcat – specifically, the North African subspecies, Felis silvestris lybica.
Given the profusion of little pusses, why was the North African wildcat the one to give rise to our household companions?
But of these, the African wildcat is the one that to this day enters villages and can be found around humans.
African wildcats are among the friendliest of feline species; raised gently, they can make affectionate companions.
Some African wildcats – those with the least fear of humans – took advantage of this bounty and started hanging around.

What cat traits did domestication emphasize?

Some cat breeds have distinctive physical features, like munchkins’ short legs, Siameses’ elongated faces or Persians’ lack of muzzle.
In fact, only 13 genes have been changed by natural selection during the domestication process.
The most significant evolutionary changes during cat domestication involve their behavior.
To signal friendly intentions, an approaching cat raises its tail straight up, a trait shared with lions and no other feline species.

Evolution of a master manipulator

Unlike the tail-up display, however, this is not an example of their treating us as part of their clan.
The sound of these meows has evolved during domestication to more effectively communicate with us.
Listeners rate the wildcat’s call as more urgent and demanding (“Mee‑O‑O‑O‑O‑O‑W!”) compared with the domestic cat’s more pleasing (“MEE‑ow”).
Although cats are very trainable – they’re very food motivated – cats usually train us more than we train them.

Award-winning ONSURI Olive Oils Arrive on the American Market

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星期四, 六月 9, 2022

NEW YORK, June 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- ONSURI may be unknown to many Americans. That's about to change. This world-class olive oil producer is launching its line of four EVOOs at the Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show June 12-14 at NYC's Javits Center. ONSURI will be at Booth 1774 on Level 3.

Key Points:

This world-class olive oil producer is launching its line of four EVOOs at the Specialty Food Association's Summer Fancy Food Show June 12-14 at NYC's Javits Center.
Well-known in the Middle East and the UK, ONSURI 's single-estate oils are produced from four olive varieties grown at the heart of the Fertile Crescent utilizing traditional European methods, including pressing the fruit within an hour of picking.
Co-founder Amelia Bilbeisi, a master miller and certified olive oil sommelier , will be on hand at the ONSURI booth to conduct one-on-one tasting sessions upon request.
They live around the farm, and ONSURI provides water, electricity, and access to fruits and vegetables grown on the farm.