![]() ![]() ![]() Furthermore, barley grains became important in the development of currency systems and the standardisation of units of measurement. During this period, barley helped people understand chemistry and domesticate yeasts, enabling the transformation of low-value raw materials into high-value products. Barley was the staff of life, whether as bread or beer, for western civilisations for thousands of years. His book, What Have Plants Ever Done for Us? Western Civilization in Fifty Plants, is out now.īarley: A cereal first domesticated from a common grass in the Fertile Crescent. In his new book, Dr Stephen Harris from the Department of Plant Sciences takes us on a journey through western civilisation, presenting the stories of 50 key plants – from cannabis, carrot and cotton to rice, rubber and rose.ĭr Harris, University Research Lecturer and Druce Curator of the Oxford University Herbaria, picked out three important species for Science Blog. ![]() Plants have been indispensable to human beings for millennia, having a profound and often unexpected impact on our everyday lives. They provide the food we eat, the medicines we take, the fuel we use – and, of course, the oxygen we breathe. ![]()
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