Rice seems to have led to ‘downfall’ of chickens, says study. Find out how

If research is to be believed, rice seems to have led to the 'downfall' of chickens. Well, not literally. But the study has found that the chickens used to live high up in trees and were tempted to come down due to rice farming. This new study, which has been conducted by researchers at the University of Oxford, the University of Exeter and Cardiff University, has been published in the journal ‘Antiquity’. According to them, the birds seem to be a relatively new addition to farms.This research also says that humans seem to have not come into close contact with chickens till 1500 BC.

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With the help of carbon dating, researchers have established the age of around 23 of the earliest chickens, which were found in western Eurasia and north-west Africa. Dr Julia Best of Cardiff University, said, “This is the first time that radiocarbon dating has been used on this scale to determine the significance of chickens in early societies. Our results demonstrate the need to directly date proposed early specimens, as this allows us the clearest picture yet of our early interactions with chickens.”

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After these jungle birds were domesticated, the chickens were transported to different areas around the world. Prof Greger Larson of the University of Oxford said, “This comprehensive re-evaluation of chickens firstly demonstrates how wrong our understanding of the time and place of chicken domestication was. And even more excitingly, we show how the arrival of dry rice agriculture acted as a catalyst for both the chicken-domestication process and its global dispersal.”

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(With inputs from agencies)

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