Talking Turkey

A Delicious Domesticated Turkey
Pic from hillsheperd.blogspot.com

When people think of Thanksgiving, people usually envision a beautiful, Butterball turkey.  In this week's SciAm podcast, Science Talk, Steve Mirsky interviews Rich Buckholz, a turkey researcher.  Our delicious, domesticated turkeys provide a powerful example of artificial selection.  Apparently, these turkeys can only reproduce through artificial insemination due to careful selective breeding.  The females no longer solicit the males because the males can't actually do anything.  Because everyone wants the white meat, breeding practices led to larger breasts in both males and females which hinders the actual act of mating.
Another turkey dialog began after President Obama pardoned the turkey this year.  He wanted someone to explain "what the whole wattle's about".  Slate found someone to answer the question and published this article about the strange flap of skin on the neck of a turkey.  Because the turkey's body is covered with dense, heat-trapping feathers, the wattle helps to dissipate heat.  As with many bodily structures, the wattle also helps with sexual selection by advertising good genes in well-endowed males.

So for good scientific small talk at this year's Thanksgiving dinner, let your relatives know about the science of turkeys!

Happy Thanksgiving!