A new genetic study shows house cats around the world can trace their origins to lybica, a wild cat that roamed the Middle East 100,000 years ago.
Stephen J. O'Brien of the National Cancer Institute says, "house cats -- which includes fancy breeds and feral cats -- those cats all form a genetic group that is virtually indistinguishable from ones in the Middle East."
"So, domestication, for sure, took place in the Middle East where those cats live today," added O'Brien, coauthor of a paper appearing in this week's online edition of the journal Science.
The research goes beyond mere curiosity about where Fluffy comes from. Cats are a model for some human genetic diseases, such as polycystic kidney disease and retinal atrophy.
The researchers found wildcats, with DNA identical to domestic cats, in Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
By studying the mitochondrial DNA of 979 domestic and wildcats from Europe, Asia and Africa, the researchers concluded that the origins of the species -- what O'Brien calls a feline Adam and Eve -- developed between 130,000 and 160,000 years ago. Mitochondrial DNA is passed down from mother to offspring.
I really enjoyed this article on the orgin of the cats! Its quite interesting!!!!
Posted by: Business Process Modelling Training | December 18, 2009 at 04:44 AM
beyond mere curiosity about where Fluffy comes from. Cats are a model for some human genetic diseases,
Posted by: Business Process Improvement Training | January 15, 2010 at 06:18 AM