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Struggle to save the apple's Asian birthplace
Telegraph ^ | August 21, 2009 | Richard Spencer in the Zailijskei Alatau Mountains

Posted on 09/04/2009 8:24:28 PM PDT by SunkenCiv

The common ancestor of all the Granny Smiths and Cox's Orange Pippins still grows on some of the world's most beautiful but little known mountainsides in the former Soviet Republic of Kazakhstan.

The discovery of the "Garden of Eden" in Central Asia has triggered efforts to save what remains of the forests, always known for their abundance of wild fruit. Once under assault by Soviet agricultural planners, they are now menaced by the wealth of oil capitalism and as much as 80 per cent has disappeared.

"In earlier historical times there were vast mixed fruit forests across the area," said Dr Barrie Juniper, the Emeritus Reader in plant sciences at Oxford University and author of "The Story of the Apple".

The book describes how he and other researchers used gene sequencing to trace the family of the common or garden apple to the Tian Shan, or Celestial Mountains, on Kazakhstan's border with China.

"There are just a mere handful of fruit forest patches now, and to find them you have to be taken there by someone who knows where they are going."

Dr Juniper's findings came as a surprise. Apples are well known to be among the most easily hybridised of fruits, explaining the many varieties in the world's greengroceries. It was previously thought that different sub-species mutated from wild crab apples.

But genetic comparisons showed that all sweet apples were relatives of the malus sieversii family.

This flourishes uniquely in the northern reaches of the Tian Shan, more sheltered from the harsh sun and deserts of the south.

(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: apples; creation; dietandcuisine; evolution; godsgravesglyphs; helixmakemineadouble; johnnyappleseed; pomologist; pomologists; pomology; spies; tianshan; transparents
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Scientists have used DNA evidence to locate where the first eating apple grew

1 posted on 09/04/2009 8:24:31 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
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To: Berosus; blam

Pomologists Bite Off More Than They Can Chew With 200-Year-Old Apple Mystery
The Telegraph (UK) | 1-30-2007 | Richard Savill
Posted on 01/29/2007 6:40:07 PM PST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/backroom/1775873/posts

Science Traces Roots Of ‘Traditional English’ Apple Back To Central Asia
The Telegraph (UK) | 2-25-2007 | Richard Gray
Posted on 02/24/2007 7:38:25 PM PST by blam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1790720/posts


2 posted on 09/04/2009 8:25:28 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: StayAt HomeMother; Ernest_at_the_Beach; 1ofmanyfree; 21twelve; 24Karet; 2ndDivisionVet; 31R1O; ...

· join list or digest · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post a topic ·

 
Gods
Graves
Glyphs
Thanks berosus.

To all -- please ping me to other topics which are appropriate for the GGG list.
GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother, and Ernest_at_the_Beach
 

·Dogpile · Archaeologica · ArchaeoBlog · Archaeology · Biblical Archaeology Society ·
· Discover · Nat Geographic · Texas AM Anthro News · Yahoo Anthro & Archaeo · Google ·
· The Archaeology Channel · Excerpt, or Link only? · cgk's list of ping lists ·


3 posted on 09/04/2009 8:27:13 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

4 posted on 09/04/2009 8:28:26 PM PDT by OldSpice
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To: OldSpice

I’ve never seen the a peel of that guy.


5 posted on 09/04/2009 8:32:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

Malleus Maleficarum...


6 posted on 09/04/2009 8:38:39 PM PDT by null and void (We are now in day 226 of our national holiday from reality. - 0bama really isn't one of US.)
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Yawn


7 posted on 09/04/2009 8:41:31 PM PDT by ak267
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To: SunkenCiv

lol


8 posted on 09/04/2009 8:46:03 PM PDT by Roscoe Karns
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To: SunkenCiv
Pomologists Bite Off More Than They Can Chew With 200-Year-Old Apple Mystery

"Pomology" = the study of whinging Englishmen... I like it!!

9 posted on 09/04/2009 9:19:58 PM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (Is mise an ceann-cinnidh. Cha ghéill mi do dhuine. Fàg am bealach.)
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To: DieHard the Hunter

whinging POM goes to the beach.

10 posted on 09/04/2009 9:40:46 PM PDT by Fred Nerks (fair dinkum)
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To: Fred Nerks

(grin!)


11 posted on 09/04/2009 9:45:58 PM PDT by DieHard the Hunter (Is mise an ceann-cinnidh. Cha ghéill mi do dhuine. Fàg am bealach.)
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To: SunkenCiv
Dr Juniper believes the first large, sweet varieties were chosen and spread by bears - who have a sweet tooth

Photo of Kazahkastan's Johnny Appleseed:

As to the theory of how they got to Europe, all I have to say is, "Horse-apples!"

12 posted on 09/04/2009 10:16:25 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (The Great Obamanation of Desolation, sitting in the Oval Office, where he ought not...)
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To: ApplegateRanch

Personally, I’m having a hard time believing this guy’s name is “Dr. Juniper”...


13 posted on 09/05/2009 5:44:19 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: DieHard the Hunter

“I’d like to welcome the pommy bastard to God’s own Earth, and remind him that we don’t like stuck-up sticky-beaks here.” “Hear! Hear! Well spoken Bruce!”


14 posted on 09/05/2009 5:45:54 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: Roscoe Karns

;’)


15 posted on 09/05/2009 5:46:13 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: null and void

http://www.malleusmaleficarum.org/downloads/MalleusAcrobat.pdf


16 posted on 09/05/2009 5:46:56 AM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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To: SunkenCiv

Me neither.


17 posted on 09/05/2009 10:46:14 AM PDT by TheOldLady
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To: OldSpice

A picture of what you get if you hold the tip of your tongue and say “apple.”


18 posted on 09/05/2009 10:48:47 AM PDT by aruanan
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To: SunkenCiv

That was hard enough, but Barrie Juniper?

“Juniper, Barrie!”

“Present!”

“Juniper, Barrie, you have have been chosen ....”

“OMG! They PICKED ME!”


19 posted on 09/05/2009 12:17:40 PM PDT by ApplegateRanch (The Great Obamanation of Desolation, sitting in the Oval Office, where he ought not...)
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To: ApplegateRanch

OMG, the parents must have been drunk.


20 posted on 09/06/2009 7:04:25 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (https://secure.freerepublic.com/donate/__Since Jan 3, 2004__Profile updated Monday, January 12, 2009)
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