The Great Wall of China is one of the most imposing monuments humanity has ever created- after all, it’s not for nothing that the claim goes around that you can see it from space. However, it’s not just an effective barrier for humans. In fact, a 2003 study indicates that it’s causing speciation in the region…
Sources for this episode: 1) Su, H., Qu., L.-J., He, K., Zhang, Z., Wang, J., Chen, Z. and Gu, H. (2003), The Great Wall of China: a physical barrier to gene flow? Heredity 90: 212- 219. 2) The Editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica (2021), Great Wall of China (online) [Accessed 19/02/2021]. 3)Campbell, N. A., Urry, L. A., Cain, M. L., Wasserman, S. A., Minorsky, P. V. and Reece, J. B. (2018), Biology: a global approach, 11th edition (Global Edition), Harlow, Pearson Education Limited 4) Oltermann, P., et al., The Guardian/Observer (2010), The Ancient World (booklet series), Day 6: China. Associated with the British Museum.