A world without chickens

• Autores: Andrew Lawler
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3013, 2015, págs. 42-45
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The world's cats and dogs disappeared overnight, millions of people would mourn their furry friends. If beef cattle suddenly ceased to exist, it would create economic crises in America, Argentina and Australia. It's a thought experiment whose answers show just how much human civilization has come to rely on a single species. Without chickens, humans would face "a starving world," says Olivier Hanotte, a molecular biologist at the University of Nottingham in UK, who has studied the spread of the chicken around the globe. Close to one-third of the world's meat supply and nearly all of its eggs would vanish. Pandemics and riots could ensue, unleashing a crisis of enormous proportions. Here, Lawler investigates whether humanity could survive without chickens.