Posted on 09/27/2014 1:49:06 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
A team of Spanish researchers have obtained the first partial genome sequence of an ancient pig. Extracted from a sixteenth century pig found at the site of the Montsoriu Castle in Girona, the data obtained indicates that this ancient pig is closely related to today's Iberian pig. Researchers also discard the hypothesis that Asian pigs were crossed with modern Iberian pigs.
The study, published in Heredity, sheds new light on evolutionary aspects of pig species, and particularly on that of the Iberian breed, considered to be representative of original European Mediterranean populations...
The sample dates approximately from the years 1520 to 1550 and is previous to the introduction of Asian pigs in Europe, which were later crossed with local European breeds which are the origin of today's international pig species. The sample pig is contemporary to the beginning of America's colonisation...
The study indicates that the pig was a domestic pig, given that the sequence presents a series of markers typical of domestic pigs and which are very rare or absent in wild boars (the precursor animals to the domestic pig); moreover, this coincides with the historical registers of the castle, which clearly indicates that pig breeding was an important castle activity. Nevertheless, there is also evidence of occasional crossbreeding between wild boars and ancient pigs, as has happened between wild boars and Iberian pigs.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencedaily.com ...
Spaniards love their pork. I’ve always wanted to try “lardo”, a smoked bacon like delicacy that is supposed to be very delicious. I havent found anybody that imports it.
CC
Micro-evolution stopped moving the species forward...???
Gee, at least evolution could have made the bacon tastier...if that is possible...
Amazon sells Lardo:
The 16th is now "ancient?"
There wouldn’t have been any pigs in Iberia from the 600s until perhaps the 1100s, for reasons that I suspect could be guessed by anyone here.
Just like 60 is now a “senior citizen.”
There were pigs in Iberia. Not all of the peninsula was conquered, and there were some places that were under the Arabs for only a short time.
Hey, if I had a 500 year old pig, I’d consider it ancient. And of course, it would be kinda mean to eat it at that point.
Our wild pig here in the Southern US is descended from the Iberian hogs brought by the Spanish to Florida and the Southwest.
And most of the population even in Moslem ruled areas was Christian, so there were pigs.
There are churches that have been in continuous use through the Moslem occupation. There is even a Catholic rite (a version of the liturgy) that is native to the Moslem ruled Christians and is official to this day, the Mozarabic rite.
Short time is relative.
Even Zaragoza, in the far north, was Moslem for 400 years.
Nearly all of Spain was Moslem controlled for at least 200 years. Only small areas, and those remote and poor, were never conquered.
there are also pigs (wild) in the Golan.
500 years = “ancient” ??
Asturias was never conquered, and other parts of Northern Spain were conquered briefly, reconquered many years later when a different band of Arabs swept through, and then in many cases were simply vassals - that is, they paid trribute (in money, goods or young men and women) but were ruled by their own kings and did not follow Islamic law or customs. Pigs abounded...
That's not the way Ezekiel Emmanuel sees it. That pig is over 75, it's not contributing, it's gotta go.
He ate altogether too much.
Well, they were still there, but they were disguised with burkahs.
And when there was a merry mixup, no one could tell the difference.
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