That Weed in Your Yard May Be an Ancient Crop

The weeds you find in your backyard today may have descended from the life-sustaining crops of Native American communities 3,000-5,000 years ago. Though today's wild variations aren’t identical to domesticated plants of the past, botanists, archaeologists, and anthropologists from all over the US are studying these “lost crops” to learn more about the past and re-envision a potential farming future. Guest: Elizabeth Horton, Station Archaeologist at Toltec Mounds Research Station, Department of Anthropology, University of Arkansas