It seems that an article about a species that has been extinct by humans is published online every day. It is a regrettable fact of life that people have been hunting, eating and killing other species for thousands of years. But what humans do is not all bad, and we create new species.
As it happens, if it weren't for humans, there wouldn't even be several species. Humans helped save species from extinction by other animals. We have even managed to reproduce new species through artificial selection, anthropogenic speciation, and other processes.
If it weren't for humans, these ten species wouldn't be here, and some might surprise you.
Wheat was first planted in fertile crescents about 11,600 years ago. Humans harvested crops to develop mutant forms. These mutant grasses produce larger grains that retain the seeds through harvesting. Over time, what we call wheat today has grown and has been driving humanity ever since.
One theory is that humans have not domesticated wheat to a greater extent than our crops. It was the cultivation of crops that ignited the fire, triggered the development of agriculture, and thus led to the development of human civilization. If it weren't for wheat, we would still be wandering around, eating berries and anything else we could find.
After wheat was domesticated, humans stopped wandering in search of food. It's an interesting concept, but whatever position you take, it's clear that modern wheat wouldn't have existed if humans hadn't grown particularly tasty grains nearly 12,000 years ago.
Lice are one of the most annoying parasites on earth and are often referred to as lice. Most hairy animals must deal with these pests. When it comes to humans, there is a unique pair that exposes us to two different species of these parasites.
Head lice and body lice are a common problem with other primates, which is why you often see monkeys and apes picking insects out of each other's hair and eating them.
Humans are attacked by a unique type of lice. Crab lice (P. pubis) grow strongly on the coarse hairs that grow in our pubic area.
The species infects about 2% of the world's population and is mainly transmitted through sexual activity. Fortunately, they are not known vectors of disease transmission, as they are only compensated for by their location. If it weren't for humans, the species wouldn't exist, although it's a species that humans don't mind eradicating.
Corn is a staple crop worldwide, from cattle feed to artificial sweeteners. Still, thanks to humanity, it became that way. In its natural state, corn didn't look like it is now, but thanks to the indigenous people of Mexico about 9,000 years ago, a grass became one of the most important food sources on the planet.
The artificial selection of various crops helps to produce modern plants called corn (corn). Plants are selected according to the size of the leaves and the grains produced. As their ancestors, teosintes naturally didn't produce anything like modern corn.
The domestication of corn began about 9,000 years ago, but its history is divided into multiple waves. See the domestication of corn in the Andes for the first time. This was followed by a second wave in the South American lowlands about 2,000 years ago.
The difference between modern corn and its natural ancestors is staggering. The earliest known corn plants produced panicles of only about 25 mm (1 inch) and produced only one per plant. The ears of modern corn are about 6.5–7.5 inches (165–177 mm) long and have multiple panicles per plant.
Goldfish are the perfect example of selective breeding, because if it were not for humans, goldfish would no longer exist. As far as we know, goldfish have only existed for about 1000 years.
Modern goldfish are a subspecies of carp that breed selectively to achieve the most desirable specific colors and body types.
Originally, Asian carp were bred as a food source, but around the Jin Dynasty (265-420 AD), the situation began to change. During this time, people noticed that the mutation produced bright red, orange, and yellow scale colors, so they chose to breed these fish with similar-looking individuals.
Over time, light orange became the dominant color, and by the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), fish began to live in ornamental ponds and water gardens.
Until about 1000 years ago, the modern goldfish (C. auratus) appeared in many forms and became a popular ornamental and pet fish.
Potatoes are another important global crop, but they have only existed for about 7,000-10,000 years.
The potato we now know (S. tuberosum) is bitter at first and mostly inedible. The species developed into the potato as we know it today after humans crossed it.
The potato is so varied because of its ability to grow new plants from a variety of tubers, which is one of the important reasons why the potato has so many variations. If you want to grow potatoes, all you have to do is cut the potatoes into 2-inch (5.1 cm) pieces and replant them. This is one of the reasons why potato hybridization has become relatively easy.
The widespread cultivation and distribution of potatoes has made the potato one of the most important staple crops in the world. Every year, millions of tons of potatoes are eaten around the world, which is impressive considering how this plant started.
London Underground Mosquito (C. London) molestus) exists, thanks to our human passion for excavation underground.
London Underground Mosquito (C. London) First discovered in 1775, the species is likely to have emerged through a modification of man-made underground systems. Although its name comes from the Discovered London Underground, the species was first discovered in Egypt long before it was built underground. It has since been found in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
These mosquitoes are unlike any other species of mosquitoes in that they have adapted perfectly to underground life. The development of the species makes it perfectly suitable for living in urban environments, which is unusual for mosquitoes. They cause many problems, including West Nile virus, the spread of Ross River virus, and other common diseases carried by this pest.
Headless kale, cauliflower, cabbage, brussels sprouts, kohlrabi and broccoli. These vegetables would not have existed if it were not for humans, and their development was quite interesting. Although all these vegetables are very different, technically they are also the same plant.
The cultivation of wild cabbage began in the northern Mediterranean region around the fifth century BC. Humans began to use artificial selection to choose their favorite features, which led to many changes that looked very different from each other.
Kale was the first variant to develop around the fifth century BC. This was followed by the cultivation of kale plants into cabbage and kohlrabi around the first century. By the 15th century, cauliflower and broccoli had existed, while brussels sprouts had existed since the 18th century.
If you know a lot about extinct animals, you probably know the European bison (auroch), a Eurasian bison that became extinct in 1627. People used to love to eat those hearty cows, but they have been extinct for hundreds of years. Luckily, we have modern cows (B. Taurus), which is widely distributed on Earth, is estimated to be about 1.5 billion heads worldwide.
Modern cows are thought to have been domesticated by humans from a herd of bison that lived 10,500 years ago. Many of these animals have adapted to the local climate. Propagated for specific human purposes, including artificial, meat and milk.
Interestingly, avocados are not an example of a species that we reproduce by cross-pollination or similar methods. Instead, we love to eat them and make sure they survive a mass extinction event.
Avocados developed in the Cenozoic era, when large north American species were home. The fruit attracts these animals, which will eat them and sprinkle large seeds in the feces, leading to more avocado tree growth. About 13,000 years ago, when these large species went extinct, avocados were on the verge of extinction.
Due to the loss of large North American animals, avocados have lost the ability to spread through feces. Fortunately, there was a new species at that time, homo sapiens, who was more than happy to eat the delicious fruit of the avocado tree to ensure it would survive the loss of a large North American animal. If humans hadn't found them so delicious, avocados could have gone extinct 12-13,000 years ago.
When it comes to artificial selection, dogs are probably the most famous example. As far as we know, dogs would not exist if they were not human. Our history with humanity's best friends is longer than recorded history, which makes them the most important species in human development.
Dogs are a different species of gray wolf, and anyone who has ever seen a dog can attest that most breeds don't look like wolves. This is due to the polymorphic breeding that humans have carried out over the past few thousand years, as we have focused our attention primarily on selective traits that contribute to hunting, shepherding, and gathering dogs.
Over time, we began to develop dog breeds for other purposes, which is why we have dogs like pugs, chihuahuas, and labradors. These puppies are not so good at helping others, they cheer us on and be excellent companions. Sadly, modern dog breeds suffer from multiple genetic diseases due to the way they were originally bred, while older dog breeds tend to live longer and healthier.