How did chickens make it to the New World? That's a good question, and now scientists may have found the answer. Researchers have taken a closer look at the DNA in chicken bones to find out exactly how and when chickens crossed the Pacific Ocean.
The researchers took a look at the ancient DNA of Polynesian chicken bones in order to reconstruct the migrations of people and the animals they carried with them. After analyzing the DNA, the scientists found that previous claims of contact between early Polynesians and South America were false. Instead, Polynesian chickens look as if they originated from the Philippines.
"We have identified genetic signatures of the original Polynesian chickens, and used these to track early movements and trading patterns across the Pacific," said Vicki Thomson, one of the researchers, in a news release. "We were also able to trace the origins of these lineages back into the Philippines, providing clues about the source of the original Polynesian chicken populations."
The findings actually reveal that there was no pre-Columbian contact between South America and Polynesia. This means that chickens in South America were likely brought over by Columbus and other settlers. In other words, the chickens that we consume today probably came from Europe. That said there's still something to be said for Polynesian chickens.
"Remarkably, our study also shows that the original Polynesian lineages appear to have survived on some isolated Pacific islands, despite the introduction of European domestic animals across the Pacific in the last couple of hundred years," said Alan Cooper, one of the researchers, in a news release. "These original lineages could be of considerable importance to the poultry industry which is concerned about the lack of genetic diversity in commercial stocks."
The findings reveal a little bit more about where chickens came from, and also how ancient populations of people interacted.
The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
