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scientist have sequenced the honest-to-god works genome on record , and it comes from watermelon seeds champ on by Stone Age sheep Johann Gottfried von Herder in the Sahara , a new study finds .
The 6,000 - yr - oldwatermelonseeds resurfaced in the 1990s during an archaeologic dig of the cave site , get laid as Uan Muhuggiag , located along a swath of theSaharathat is now Libya . Due to the cave ’s teetotal , salty air , the seeds , which may have fall to the ground during a repast , were well preserved , enabling scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens , Kew , in the United Kingdom , to succession theirDNA , according to a study put out July 30 in the journalMolecular Biology and Evolution .
Watermelons weren’t always the sweet, juicy fruit that we eat today.
Examination of the genome also demonstrate that the seeds were those of a wild watermelon , one of Africa ’s oldest crops , and probably contain a " sickeningly caustic pulp . " The uncovering is authoritative because it offer selective information about the tameness of the watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ) , which translates " to wipe out something angelical , " that we enjoy today . It also bid insight into ancient people ’s diets and lifestyles , agree toSmithsonian Magazine .
Related : Where did watermelons come from ?
As part of the study , researcher also sequenced the genome of dozens of Citrullus vulgaris metal money that are part of Kew Garden ’s extensive collections . The scientists chance on that the herders either intentionally gather or cultivated this acrimonious - fleshed watermelon , a finding that ’s consistent with tooth Mark found on some of the honest-to-goodness seeds collected in Sudan , concord to the discipline .
In a separatestudy , researchers identify the genetical mutations that impart ancient watermelon vine its biting compounds , along with today ’s recognizable bright - red figure . However , it ’s unknown at what point in history that watermelon began resembling the yield found in forward-looking - day grocery store fund .
— What is photosynthesis ?
— What are the different food groups ?
— Could the Sahara ever be green again ?
Which begs the question , why would anyone want to eat the seeds from such a bitter fruit ?
" The seed is high in edible fatness , and it ’s storable and transportable , " Dorian Fuller , an archaeologist and botanist at University College London , who was not affect in the new study , told Smithsonian Magazine . " We often think of watermelon seed or pumpkin vine seeds as snacks , but there ’s no reasonableness why in some cases they might be cultivate in part primarily for the seed . "
