Project description
Chickens are more than a source of protein
There is a rare cultural and culinary dominance associated with chickens today. This, however, was not the case in the past. For instance, archaeologists have discovered that chickens were first domesticated for cockfighting, not for eating. Also, the economic and nutritional contribution of chickens was not known until the 20th century. What is more, while Neotropical America contributes over a fifth to global poultry production, chickens only arrived on the continent 500 years ago. The EU-funded ARAUCANA project will investigate the cultural history of chickens in Neotropical America (such as Argentina, Brazil, the Caribbean, Chile, Peru and Uruguay). The study will combine archaeology, anthropology, history and ancient population genomics. It will map the evolution of the chicken’s environmental adaptation, disease resistance and productivity.
Objective
With three chickens for every human being at any given time, poultry production is a key agricultural player, providing an efficient source of protein to billions of people regardless of religion or culture. Neotropical America contributes over a fifth to global poultry production, yet chickens only arrived on the continent 500 years ago. Since, they have played a central societal and economic role in local communities and are now well embedded within the continent’s numerous cultures. Though details surrounding their European and Polynesian introductions and spread throughout Neotropical America remain unclear, these birds have adapted to the continent’s diverse environments including diseases, leading them to display a unique genetic pool of phenotypic, productivity, adaptation and disease-resilient traits. Yet with an increasing consumer demand, local populations are being crossbred with commercial stock, and a lack of identification, characterisation and conservation of the indigenous gene pool is leading to the erosion and loss of that unique genetic make-up.
Combining archaeology, anthropology, history and ancient population genomics, ARAUCANA aims to document the cultural history of chickens in Neotropical America (such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Uruguay and the Caribbean), as well as begin mapping the evolution of indigenous traits linked to environmental adaptation, disease resistance and productivity by characterising the past genetic diversity of local chicken populations through time. It will also attempt to recover ancient (partial) pathogen genomes in order to trace their evolution and spread through time in relation to specific lifeways and environments. This will enrich our understanding of the biomolecular mechanisms and pathogenesis of infectious diseases. As the first study of its kind, it will shine new light on cultural and biological Neotropical American heritage while also informing on conservation measures, food security and safety
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics DNA
- medical and health sciences health sciences infectious diseases
- natural sciences biological sciences biochemistry biomolecules proteins
- medical and health sciences health sciences nutrition
- natural sciences biological sciences genetics genomes
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 Paris
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.