Origins of bread wheat

Origins of bread wheat

Author: PNAS July 20, 2026 Duration: 9:54

Domestication of wheat

Science Sessions are brief conversations with cutting-edge researchers, National Academy members, and policymakers as they discuss topics relevant to today's scientific community. Learn the behind-the-scenes story of work published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), plus a broad range of scientific news about discoveries that affect the world around us.

In this episode, David Lordkipanidze recounts archaeological findings from Georgia expanding the history of bread wheat.

In this episode, we cover:
•[00:00] Introduction.
•[00:51] Archaeologist and paleobotanist David Lordkipanidze tells about the archaeological sites where wheat samples were found.
•[02:53] He talks about methods for identifying plant grains among archeological artifacts.
•[04:49] Lordkipanidze explains the significance of finding bread wheat and goat grass grains together.
•[06:45] He talks about how the findings change the origin story of bread wheat.
•[08:28] He lists the caveats and limitations of the study.
•[09:24] Conclusion.

About Our Guest:

David Lordkipanidze
Director
Georgia National Museum

View related content here: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2537697123

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