Domestication
hideDomestication (from Latin domesticus) or taming refers to the process whereby a population of animals or plants, through a process of selection, becomes accustomed to human provision and control. A defining characteristic of domestication is artificial selection by humans. Some species such as the Asian Elephant, numerous members of which which have for many centuries been used as working animals, are not domesticated because they have not normally been bred under human control, even though they have been commonly tamed. Humans have brought these populations under their care for a wide range of reasons: to produce food or valuable commodities (such as wool, cotton, or silk), for help with various types of work (such as transportation or protection), for protection of themselves and livestock, to enjoy as companions or ornamental plant, and for scientific research, such as finding cures for certain diseases.
Plants domesticated primarily for aesthetic enjoyment in and around the home are usually called house plants or ornamentals, while those domesticated for large-scale food production are generally called crops. A distinction can be made between those domesticated plants that have been deliberately altered or selected for special desirable characteristics (see cultigen) and those domesticated plants that are essentially no different from their wild counterparts (assuming domestication does not necessarily imply physical modification). Likewise, animals domesticated for home companionship are usually called pets while those domesticated for food or work are called livestock or farm animals.
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News tagged with domestication
Research team establishes family tree for cattle, other ruminants
Oct 19, 2009 |
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Pairing a new approach to prepare ancient DNA with a new scientific technique developed specifically to genotype a cow, an MU animal scientist, along with a team of international researchers, created a very ...
The amazing maze of maize evolution
Oct 02, 2009 |
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Understanding the evolution and domestication of maize has been a holy grail for many researchers. As one of the most important crops worldwide and as a crop that appears very different from its wild relatives as a result ...
Human-dog communication -- breed as important as species
Jul 24, 2009 |
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Dog breeds selected to work in visual contact with humans, such as sheep dogs and gun dogs, are better able to comprehend a pointing gesture than those breeds that usually work without direct supervision. A series of tests, ...
Getting to the bottom of rice
Jul 23, 2009 |
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Rice is the world's most important food crop. Understanding its valuable genetic diversity and using it to breed new rice varieties will provide the foundation for improving rice production into the future ...
Study describes evidence of world's oldest known granaries
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 22, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A new study coauthored by Ian Kuijt, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Notre Dame, describes recent excavations in Jordan that reveal evidence of the world's oldest ...
Domestication of Capsicum annuum chile pepper provides insights into crop origin and evolution
Jun 19, 2009 |
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Without the process of domestication, humans would still be hunters and gatherers, and modern civilization would look very different. Fortunately, for all of us who do not relish the thought of spending our ...
A genome may reduce your carbon footprint
May 12, 2009 |
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With the costs of genome sequencing rapidly decreasing, and with the infrastructure now developed for almost anyone with access to a computer to cheaply store, access, and analyze sequence information, emphasis is increasingly ...
Scientists use retroviruses to unravel woolly history of sheep domestication
Apr 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at the University of Glasgow have unravelled the woolly history of sheep domestication by examining retroviruses preserved in the animal’s DNA.
Mystery about domestication of horse has been unravelled -- now location and time are proofed
Apr 23, 2009 |
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Wild horses were domesticated in the Ponto-Caspian steppe region (today Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Romania) in the 3rd millennium B.C. Despite the pivotal role horses have played in the history of human societies, the process ...
Archaeologists find earliest known domestic horses
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Mar 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- An international team of archaeologists has uncovered the earliest known evidence of horses being domesticated by humans. The discovery suggests that horses were both ridden and milked. The ...
