Wolves and Wheat

We discuss the geographical limitations of China, and the impact it had on the founder crop package species of China. We cover what makes rice such a unique crop species, including the biological changes it had to undergo during domestication. We also discuss the domestication of soybeans and millet, the other species that make up the China founder crop package. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

We continue where we left off in Part 1, discussing the spread of agriculture in the Balkans, Central, Western and Northern Europe, as well as brief look on Central Asia. You can find show notes and references wolvesandwheapodcast.com and you can reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com

In this episode, we explore how the Levant Founder Crop Species Package made its way to new geographical and culturally distinct regions. We start with the immediate spread in the Levant, the spread to Greece, and also the history of agriculture in Northern Africa. We also discuss the technology humans used to spread agriculture through sea routes, and set up Part 2 about the expanse into Europe. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

We discuss what makes wheat, common wheat in particular, such unique species in terms of genetics compared to other domesticated plants, and the types of genetic changes wheat and barley had to undergo in order to expand their range with humans. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

We continue our journey through Plant Domestication, with a deeper dive on Near Eastern Plant Domestication models. We review the old model that we mentioned parts of in our first few episodes, and then introduce what we think is a better model, that holds up better when viewed from multiple scientific disciplines. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

In this episode we continue our detour and explore the symbiotic relationship between Nitrogen-fixing bacteria and plants . Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

In this episode we take a detour and explore biochemistry of C4 photosynthesis and the effects that C4 plants had on the biosphere and on human history. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

We examine the ecological and dietary aspects of grass and legume species, traits that made them good candidates for domestication, and the important roles they played on the way to agriculture. We also explore domestication from the opposite spectrum, and discuss why we don't eat acorn flour pancakes. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out  to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

We explore what made the shift from a hunter gather society to an agricultural society possible and necessary based on anthropological, archeological, and genetic evidence. Check us out on our website at wolvesandwheatpodcast.com and reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com with any questions or comments.

We explore mechanisms that cause ice ages and their impact on the development of agriculture. Reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com

Welcome to Wolves and Wheat Podcast, our podcast about the interactions of biology and history! In this short episode we introduce ourselves and the podcast. Reach out to us at wolvesandwheatpodcast@gmail.com