Did you know that Xiaomi's ancestor was dogtail grass!
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Xiaomi's ancestors are dogtail grass-cutting, who are you kidding? I read a lot, don't lie to me! It's not that we haven't seen dogtail grass before. there are everywhere on the roadside, and this is the only thing that can make the delicious Millet Congee I drink every day.
Emmm...
There is a picture and a truth!
Dogtail grass
Millet
What do you think, dogtail grass and millet look alike?
There seems to be a slight resemblance.
Ha ha ha! Let me tell you how it changed from a dogtail grass to the millet we eat now.
01
The millet we eat now is called millet, a plant of the genus Setaria gramineae, which was also called "State" in ancient times. Did you think of any word when you see this word? yes, it is Jiangshan Social State! Be classy! It means it's important! Millet was the "long grain" in ancient times! According to legend, the ancestor of the Zhou Dynasty was called "Ji". He lived in the era of tribal alliance more than four thousand years ago, and he led people to grow food. Food is the most important thing for the people, and the natural status of the people who can lead people to grow food to fill their stomachs is respected, so people regard him as the god of agriculture and call the grain he takes everyone to grow as "Ji".
(the source of the picture is the idea of picture worm)
It is said that more than ten thousand years ago, after the new fairy tree incident, the ice age receded, the temperature gradually rose, everything revived and the grass grew and warblers flew. Then there will be more fruit and more silly birds, and people who make a living by gathering and hunting will have enough to eat, they will have more strength, they will have more strength, and there will be more and more people after Emmm. Later, they will find that no matter how everything recovers and the grass grows and warblers fly, it will not be enough to eat. So some people of insight (hungry) began to try to eat grass, and primitive agriculture was born.
Setaria angustifolia: I have few and small seeds. I don't taste good! Don't eat me!
If you don't taste good, then make you delicious!
(the source of the base image is the creativity of the picture worm)
So the "people of insight" began to tinker with "making the grass delicious" for thousands of years.
If there are fewer seeds, then choose those with more seeds! If the seed is small, then eat the big seed! Threshing, then find out what is not threshing! If the mature period is different, then find a batch of mature period concentrated! Upright, with a short dormant period, a few minutes, and a short awn. A thousand years. The year 2000. Three thousand years. Slowly select a number of fine characters of the sage, the grass is more and more delicious, mother no longer have to worry about me not to eat grass!
(the source of the base image is the creativity of the picture worm)
Well, now you can see why Xiaomi's ancestor was Setaria.
i see! It turns out that Xiaomi was first domesticated from Setaria angustifolia by our ancestors!
Yes, millet originated in the Yellow River Basin in China, and it was first domesticated and planted by our ancestors! Are you proud?
I'm proud!
02
Is there any evidence to prove that millet originated in China? will foreigners refuse to admit it?
I know what kind of moth foreigners can mess with. If you want to make them believe, you can't just rely on stories and legends, you have to rely on physical evidence!
Stone mill unearthed from Xiachuan site (picture source network)
Xiachuan site
(photo source network)
Unearthed tools alone can not prove that this is a tool for processing millet, ah, foreigners absolutely do not recognize it!
More than 1500 carbonized millet particles from 8, 000 years ago were unearthed at the Xinglonggou site in Aohan, Inner Mongolia. The granary of 8, 000 years ago was discovered at the Cishan site in Wu'an, Hebei Province, with 140000 jin of carbonized millet hoarded. The landlord's family has a lot of surplus grain. That can prove it, right?
Carbonized millet from Xinglonggou site 8000 years ago
(photo source network)
The site location map described in this paper
(base Map Source Standard Map Service system)
Xinglonggou site
(photo source network)
Cishan site grain cellar
(photo source network)
Phytolith what is phytolith?
Phytolith is a good thing, so let me give you a brief introduction to what is phytolith.
03
Phytolith is that higher plants absorb water-soluble silicon from soil through roots, transport it to the cell cavity (a few between cell walls) through vascular bundles, and deposit it in the form of hydrated silicon (SiO2 ·n ·H2O) to form SiO2 minerals consistent with the morphology of plant cells. In other words, phytolith is amorphous silicon dioxide.
Silicon dioxide, isn't that the same composition as agate and crystal? this is called phytolith. It should be very valuable.
What a money buff! Listen to me! Phytolith is composed of silicon dioxide, which shows that it is resistant to high temperature and weathering, and it can be preserved for a long time under natural conditions, even after thousands of years.
Oh, I see. Is it valuable?
Emmm, how did you use phytolith as evidence?
Because of their special cellular morphology, some plants will produce a specific form or even a unique phytolith, that is to say, a certain form of phytolith can only be found in this plant. Therefore, the species of plants can be identified by observing the morphology of phytolith. This is the protagonist of our story today!
Through the study of the phytolith of modern millet, it is found that its unique Ω-type phytolith will be produced on its Lemma (that is, the granular shell). The Lemma of millet and green dogtail grass have the same Ω-type phytolith, which can be proved that they come down in a continuous line, and the omega-type phytolith of millet is larger because of the difference of domestication.
Comparison of the morphology of green bristlegrass and millet Lemma Ω-type silicon plant (listed as green bristlegrass on the left and millet on the right)
(Zhang,PLoS One,2011)
Oh, I see!
Yes, millet can not only cook porridge, but also make millet, millet noodles, millet cakes and so on. I love it so much.
Millet noodles from 4000 years ago were unearthed at Lajia site in Qinghai Province, China, which is the earliest noodle in the world. This is also identified by scientists of the Institute of Geology and Earth of the Chinese Academy of Sciences by means of phytolith! The characteristic phytolith of millet and millet was found in the unearthed noodles so as to determine the raw material composition of the noodles.
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Greenland: New Shipping Routes, Hidden Minerals – and a Frontline Between the US and Russia?
Once seen as a remote and largely isolated Arctic territory, Greenland is rapidly emerging as a focal point of global geopolitics. Climate change, melting ice, and technological advances are transforming the island into a strategic hub defined by new shipping routes, vast mineral resources, and growing rivalry between major powers, particularly the United States and Russia. As the Arctic opens up, Greenland’s geographic position and untapped potential are pushing it to the center of international attention, raising questions about security, sovereignty, and sustainable development. Melting Ice and the Opening of New Shipping Routes One of the most visible impacts of climate change in the Arctic is the reduction of sea ice, which is making previously inaccessible waters navigable for longer periods each year. New Arctic shipping routes, including passages near Greenland, promise shorter travel times between Europe, Asia, and North America. 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By Aarif Lashari6 days ago in Earth
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