Scientists have found key evidence for the transition of rice from wild to domestication

Research has shown that about 100000 years ago, wild rice was already distributed in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, providing conditions for later rice utilization and domestication; About 24000 years ago, the climate entered a cold peak ice age, prompting humans to start collecting and utilizing wild rice, indicating that humans are seeking new sources of food to adapt to cold climates; About 13000 years ago, humans intentionally or unintentionally cultivated wild rice before domestication, initiating a long and complex process of the origin of rice agriculture; About 11000 years ago, the proportion of domesticated rice phytoliths rapidly increased and reached the domestication threshold, marking the origin of rice agriculture in East Asia. This study indicates that the origins of rice agriculture in East Asia and wheat agriculture in the two river basins of West Asia are synchronous in time, which is an important milestone in human development history and deepens scientists' understanding of the world's agricultural origin pattern.



The continuous evidence from the distribution of wild rice to its eventual domestication at the Shangshan Cultural Site in Zhejiang Province over the past 100000 years reveals the complex relationship between rice and climate, human activities, and cultural development, as well as the lengthy process of rice domestication. The reviewing experts highly praised the above achievements and believe that this innovative discovery is an important contribution to the research on the co evolution of humans and rice, and has a significant impact on exploring the development of human society, the origin of agricultural civilization, and the importance of mountain culture.



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A conceptual model of the evolution of rice from wildness to domestication in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River over the past 30000 years