A special issue in “Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B” (2025) reframes the origins of domestication

A new special issue of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B takes a bold step toward redefining one of the most debated concepts in biology and the social sciences: domestication. Titled Shifting Paradigms Towards Integrated Perspectives in Domestication Studies, the issue gathers leading voices in archaeology, evolutionary biology, and plant science to question conventional narratives and introduce new case studies that push the field forward.

The volume was co-edited by Dr. Robert Spengler, leader of the Domestication and Anthropogenic Evolution research group at the Max Planck Institute of Geoanthropology in Jena, Germany, and builds on a landmark conference, Domesticating Earth, held at Ringberg Castle in Bavaria in 2024. Co-editors Dr. Rosalind Gillis, Dr. Marta Dal Corso, and Dr. Hugo Oliveira also attended the conference, which catalyzed the collaborative effort behind this publication.

Rather than focusing solely on well-known domesticates like wheat, sheep, or rice, the issue explores lesser-studied plants and animals across a broad geographical and temporal spectrum. In doing so, it reveals how domestication may have occurred in more diverse and context-dependent ways than previously recognized.

One study in the new issue, led by Dr. Rita Dal Martello of Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, presents the largest compiled database to date of cereal grain measurements—spanning from the 9th millennium BCE to the present. The article, “Contrasting diachronic regional trends in cereal grain evolution across Eurasia,” analyzes size changes in staple grains like wheat, barley, and Chinese millets, revealing complex, region-specific evolutionary trajectories shaped by both cultural practices and environmental constraints.

“Our findings highlight how similar evolutionary patterns—such as increases in grain size—emerged independently across Eurasia, raising new questions about parallel domestication processes,” say Dal Martello.

In another article, “Seeking consensus on the domestication concept,” Spengler and colleagues address a fundamental issue: the lack of a shared definition for domestication itself. Drawing on published definitions, the authors dissect the concept and expose how current definitions may bias scientific interpretations. Critically, they argue that domestication likely occurred without deliberate human intent, suggesting the need for a new definition that accounts for unconscious and incremental evolutionary processes.

“Domestication is the foundation of modern civilization,” says Spengler. “Understanding how it really happened—across species, regions, and millennia—reshapes our sense of what it means to be human today.”

As humans continue to shape the evolution of species—whether through agriculture, urbanization, or climate change—the archaeological record offers essential insights into how long-term human-plant-animal relationships unfold. These lessons could inform more sustainable practices today and tomorrow.