Posted on 02/14/2007 8:49:13 AM PST by blam
GGG Ping.
WHAAAAT?!?
During 1400 years the corn didn't evolve!?!
but, but this can't be!
Some plant species were already genetically selected for high yield by farmers and maxed out thousands of years ago. I can think of a few crops that haven't improved in yield for a looooong time. However, wheat has become so dis-similar from its pre-agricultural form that the older version of wheat is sold as "spelt," supposedly a low-protein ancient version that is easier to digest.
Farmers use evolution all the time. If you're gonna breed cattle, do you want the thin sickly ones to be parents? Probably not, if you plan to stay in business.
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"Farmers use evolution all the time."
Genetic selection (for desireable traits) is used in agriculture.
The gene pool stays the same, just certain traits are selected for and expressed.
Corn was a staple crop in the Andes? Were there potatoes in Mexico, then?
"Farmers use evolution natural selection all the time."
If it isn't too much of an imposition, what is a cacique? The Spanish dictionary doesn't have it.
Actually when farmers do it, it's called artificial selection. I know if you want to get technical, natural & artificial selection are't proven to create new species (since the process would take a lot longer than human science has existed) but the example of the difference between the wheat of today and spelt still stands. The gene pool DOES change, you simply can't get spelt to produce wheat in a single generation when it took 10,000 years of intentional selection to make it happen.
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Absent the mill, the stuff might as well be cardboard if used for sustenance.
You could type that farmers use designed selection......just an idea.
Simply amazing
Are you sure that spelt has less protein than modern wheat. I had the impression it was as good or higher. I know that short grained rice has a higher protein comtent than long grain rice.
A cacique is a native chief. I have used on line dictionaries to try to translate Spanish language newspaper articles. I find they only define about 1/2 the words I am looking for. May Spanish is already reasonably good, so these are the less common words. There is a dictionary by Cuyas that is like the Webster for Spanish.
Appreciate the definition of cacique.
(Thanks for including me on the ping.)
Maize? "Maize"??? What the heck is Maize?
I think they must mean "choclo."
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