How the Inquisition Gave Us Kentucky Fried Chicken - Science

A baby chick. Could Medieval religious rules have increased the demand for poultry and thereby altered chicken evolution?

Credit: © Anatolii / Fotolia

A chick as it considers which came first, philosophers or eggs?


Chickens were domesticated from Asian jungle fowl around 6000 years ago. Since domestication they have acquired a number of traits that are valuable to humans, including those concerning appearance, reduced aggression and faster egg-laying, although it is not known when and why these traits evolved.

Now, an international team of scientists has combined DNA data from archaeological chicken bones with statistical modeling to pinpoint when these traits started to increase in frequency in Europe.

(Science Daily:  Holy chickens: Did Medieval religious rules drive domestic chicken evolution?)

Maestro, let's have a drum roll for the Inquisition, please.


To their surprise they found that this happened in High Middle Ages, around 1000 A.D. Intriguingly these strong selection pressures coincided with increasing urbanization and Christian edicts that enforced fasting and the exclusion of four legged animals from the menu. Could Medieval religious rules have increased the demand for poultry and thereby altered chicken evolution?

- SD

Ring a ding ding, huh?

Ed:  we're just a chicken wing away from Chicken-Fried Steak in Texas

Glory


In 2014, a group led by Greger Larson looked at these two genes in around 100 archaeological samples from Europe spanning the last 2,200 years. But due to a lack of the right statistical methods, they did not quantify the timing or strength of natural selection.

Now, a research team led by Liisa Loog, Anders Eriksson, Mark Thomas and Greger Larson analyzed ancient and modern chicken DNA using a statistical method they developed to pinpoint when selection starts and how strong it is. They found that selection on the TSHR gene began around 920 AD, which coincides with increased chicken consumption across the whole of Northern Europe, as seen in the archaeological record.

- SD


So let's hear their case.

"This significant intensification of chicken and egg production has been linked to Christian fasting practices, originating with the Benedictine Monastic Order, which disallowed the consumption of meat from four-legged animals during fasting periods, but the restrictions did not extend to birds or eggs. These dietary rules were adopted across Europe and applied to all segments of society around 1000 AD." said author Anders Eriksson. "However, The increase in chicken production could also have been favored by urbanization, the introduction of the more efficient agricultural practices and a warmer climate."

- SD

There you have it, mates.  The first step was the Inquisition and the next was Kentucky Fried Chicken.


The article is there for the interested student since it goes into the mechanics of the genes they were tracing, etc.

Ed:  you just ran it since the hard scientists are doing something with Anthropology besides laughing at it!

There is some amusement in that but how do you know these aren't geneticists but rather highly-technical anthropologists.


Chinese Chickens (i.e. Silkies) are still the coolest strain of these birds.