14 DAY TRIAL // Having studied the genetic makeup of turkeys and chickens, researchers with the University of Kent in the US found that these species are more closely related to dinosaurs than other birds.
On the bright side, seeing how dinosaurs are long gone, we don't have to worry about having one of these close cousins of chickens and turkeys break into our kitchen and beat the hell out of us whenever we cook spicy wings or anything of the sorts.
What the study into the history of chickens and turkeys entailed
In a paper in the scientific journal BMC Genomics, the University of Kent scientists behind this research project say that, as part of their investigation, they looked at the chromosomes of both chickens and turkeys.
They further explain that chromosomes, which sit in the nucleus of each of the cells that comprise an organism, are basically structures that pack DNA in the form of strands coiled around proteins that serve to support them.
Seeing how DNA is essentially a molecule that serves to encode the genetic instructions organisms need in order to be able to develop and grow, studying it and the chromosomes accommodating for it can shed light on the evolution of the species.
How chickens and turkeys are related to long-lost dinosaurs
As shown by previous investigations, the birds that currently populate our planet evolved from feathered dinosaurs. What's interesting is that, as it turns out, chickens and turkeys underwent fewer changes than other species did.
Otherwise put, their genetic makeup is more similar to that of their dinosaur ancestors than the ones documented in the case of other bird species. This means that, while busy evolving into walking soon-to-be-roasted treats, they experienced very few changes in their genome.
Mind you, these genetic changes were more than enough to turn chickens and turkeys into creatures few people would even dream to be afraid of and that go great with gravy and steamed veggies. Still, this does not change the fact that these species are closely related to dinosaurs.
“Bird genomes are distinctive in that they have more tiny microchromosomes than any other vertebrate group. These small packages of gene-rich material are thought to have been present in their dinosaur ancestors,” said Professor Darren Griffin.
“We found that the chicken has the most similar overall chromosome pattern to its avian dinosaur ancestor,” the researcher, now working with the University of Kent's School of Biosciences, went on to detail, as cited by Science Daily.
In case anyone was wondering, it appears that the zebra finch and the budgerigar are the two species whose genetic makeup is most different to that of their dinosaur ancestors, Professor Darren Griffin and colleagues say.
