Humans likely domesticated turnips near the Hindu Kush mountains, near present day Afghanistan, 3,500 to 6,000 years ago before spreading them east and west and breeding them into related vegetables like bok choy and broccoli rabe.
This is according to new research representing the most complete look yet at how humans domesticated the ubiquitous species Brassica rapa. The findings untangle the complex web of domestication in this species, which can help researchers better understand evolution in general[…]