Search for ancestors domestic cats has led the researchers to sort of wild cat that close relatives were still roaming the remote desert Middle East today.
The cat change from fierce predators to be funny pets, according to genetic analysis, allegedly occurred about 10,000 years ago. That is the time when humans began to grow crops. This means that the first cat that is friendly to humans likely act as a mouse hunter who often disturb the seeds stored human.
“We think that is the beginning of the natural history of human relationships with the cats,” said Stephen Oa € ™ Brien, a geneticist from the National Cancer Institute in Maryland, “which turns wild and vicious predators became friends and co-exist with humans.”
Until now researchers know little about the genetic relationships between different types of cats, including the wild cats and domestic cats. One reason is that domestic cats often mate with wild cats, making it difficult for researchers to distinguish between a mixture of domestic cats and wild cats really wild.
Cat gene
The main difference between domestic cats and wild cats is their behavior. Domestic cats live in groups and are generally not afraid of humans. Because the analysis of the behavior of the cat groups almost impossible, then the international team of researchers investigating the genetic side.
Carlos Driscoll of the National Cancer Institute and his colleagues analyzed genetic material from nearly 1,000 cats, including cats home and subspecies of wild cats, such as the European wildcat, the Near Eastern wildcat, the Central Asian wildcat, African wildcat South, and China desert cats.
They found that each group represents a subspecies of wildcat called Felis silvestris. While the DNA of domestic cats with a DNA match a subspecies of the Near Eastern wildcat, Felis silvestris lybica, who live in the remote deserts of Israel and Saudi Arabia.
Family cat
As for the cats – both domestic and wild – comes from the same single ancestor. which lowers their ancestors came earlier than expected, ie about 130,000 years ago.
However, according to estimates, the descendants of the ancestors of these cats may take two different roads when spread from the Middle East. One group through Egypt, while another group went from Mesopotamia to India, then to China and then up to Japan.
About when the cat comes home from the trip, Driscoll admitted that they did not have the information to be able to find the exact estimates.
To solve the puzzle, the researchers examined historical records and archaeological findings. For example, paintings in Egyptian tombs show that around 3600 years ago, domestic cats have been living in Egypt. While the cemetery that contains a cat and humans around 9500 years old and recently discovered in Cyprus.
Well, to find out in more detail about the truth of that theory, research is required completeness of the cat gene. That is being done Oa € ™ Brien and his colleagues, namely to map the genetic material from domestic cats named Cinnamon, who lives in Columbia, Missouri. They hoped to find specific genes related to the benign nature of the cat.
Source: Kompas Cyber Media
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