New theory on the origin of agriculture

Contrary to what was believed until now, agriculture could have a plural originl. It is not a phenomenon that arose in a homogeneous community in the Middle East, according to most experts, but rather finds its roots in various human groups. In this article by a TEACHER we are going to talk about new theory on the origin of agriculture that has come to light and that gives us a new and surprising vision.

In addition to attributing its origin to different communities, the study places the appearance of crops and livestock in the Stone Age or Neolithic Age, almost 10,000 years agos. It does so from the genetic analysis of the remains of a population group that presented genetics "profoundly different" from that of the early farmers who were ancestors of modern Europeans.

Their genomes were very different of which the first Aegean and European farmers presented. In addition, the team identified the similarities between the DNA of the Neolithic farmer and those of those who lived in South Asia, including Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, specifically in the Iranian region of Zagros.

In this last area, the difference is so significant that it forces to doubt the prevailing theory so far, concludes this international study published in Science by University College London.

"The first farmers did not appear in a single genetically homogeneous population. With this study we have discovered great genetic differences in groups that coexisted in the same region, with very different ancestral origins "

Garrett Hellenthal, one of the participating researchers.

The researchers did not expect that the genetic differences would be so marked and affirm that, being a fact, it is only possible to speak of a "federal origin" of agriculture.

Although it was clear that the origin of agriculture "occurred through the fertile Levant, and that it did not have a particular center", We in no way expected that in this region there would be agricultural populations with such great DNA dissimilarity, says Mark Tomas, another of the authors.