The Evolution of Chickens

People in what's now China domesticated chickens from those jungle fowl as long as 4000 years ago. In doing so they serendipitously disabled a gene that matched breeding to the length of the day. So originally birds timed their breeding to a specific time of the year but with that gene disabled the chickens were more likely to breed all year round. Artificial lighting could make hens lay more frequently because we can trick them into thinking that it is the time for laying.

Transcript

Play full episode

Remember Everything You Learn from Podcasts

Save insights instantly, chat with episodes, and build lasting knowledge - all powered by AI.