Neuroscience
Just as language has been tied to the growth of agriculture (see British & Irish genes: not that far apart, in which I discuss how the Celts may have brought agricultural tools and language to Ireland), so the origin of house cats may be tied to the "domestication" of wheat & barley by early human settlers in the Near East.
Carlos A. Driscoll and his colleagues analyzed the DNA of wildcats and house cats in Scotland, Israel, Namibia and Mongolia and determined that the DNA of house cats and fancy cats (what's the difference?) "falls within the Near Eastern wildcat cluster, making clear that this subspecies is their ancestor.
"... Wheat, rye and barley had been domesticated in the Near East by 10,000 years ago, so it seems likely that the granaries of early Neolithic villages harbored mice and rats, and that the settlers welcomed the cats’ help in controlling them."
This supports Vigne's 2004 assertion that cats were not domesticated by Egyptians but in fact have been domesticated far longer.
The Times quotes Driscoll as saying that " 'The cats were adapting themselves to a new environment, so the push for domestication came from the cat side, not the human side.'" Naturally this was the cats' decision: lots of rodents, warm fires -- what's not to like?
For More Information
* Driscoll et al., The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication, Science, Jun 28, 2007; [Epub ahead of print].
* Vigne, JD et al., Early taming of the cat in Cyprus. Science. 2004 Apr 9;304(5668):259.
* Wade, Nicholas. Study Traces Cat’s Ancestry to Middle East. New York Times, June 29, 2007.
- Confluence Of Cats & Science
YouTube says: "Two professional engineers illustrate the proper care and practical benefits of cats." In this case, three cats. The video is narrated by engineer and "guy who has all those cats", who talks about food (especially tuna), cat hobbies (such...
- Feline Diabetes & Diet
please also read my May 2008 post More About Feline Diabetes & Diet ScienceDaily reports on a new study from Robert Backus, a University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarian which "...suggests that weight gain, not the type of diet, is more important...
- Catspeak
I don't usually like cute cat photos, but there is an interesting Internet meme going around about krazy kaptions of kat photos. I first found it on - Language Log, Kitty Pidgin and asymmetrical tail-wags, which referred me to - Anil Dash's...
- Interspecies Communication?!
Boomer has adopted a new vocalization to tell me he wants to be picked up, placed on the bathroom counter, and have the water turned on for him. This has prompted me to search for cat vocalization articles for my e-friend Eliot. Found something different,...
- Why Do Cats Purr?
I posed this question to Brain Boost last week, and I can't stop thinking about the (possible) answer. It's not really current news, but it's so interesting I'm posting it anyway: "A purring cat is not necessarily a happy one; many species-including...
Neuroscience
Felis silvestris lybica: 10,000 million years old
Just as language has been tied to the growth of agriculture (see British & Irish genes: not that far apart, in which I discuss how the Celts may have brought agricultural tools and language to Ireland), so the origin of house cats may be tied to the "domestication" of wheat & barley by early human settlers in the Near East.
Carlos A. Driscoll and his colleagues analyzed the DNA of wildcats and house cats in Scotland, Israel, Namibia and Mongolia and determined that the DNA of house cats and fancy cats (what's the difference?) "falls within the Near Eastern wildcat cluster, making clear that this subspecies is their ancestor.
"... Wheat, rye and barley had been domesticated in the Near East by 10,000 years ago, so it seems likely that the granaries of early Neolithic villages harbored mice and rats, and that the settlers welcomed the cats’ help in controlling them."
This supports Vigne's 2004 assertion that cats were not domesticated by Egyptians but in fact have been domesticated far longer.
The Times quotes Driscoll as saying that " 'The cats were adapting themselves to a new environment, so the push for domestication came from the cat side, not the human side.'" Naturally this was the cats' decision: lots of rodents, warm fires -- what's not to like?
For More Information
* Driscoll et al., The Near Eastern Origin of Cat Domestication, Science, Jun 28, 2007; [Epub ahead of print].
* Vigne, JD et al., Early taming of the cat in Cyprus. Science. 2004 Apr 9;304(5668):259.
* Wade, Nicholas. Study Traces Cat’s Ancestry to Middle East. New York Times, June 29, 2007.
- Confluence Of Cats & Science
YouTube says: "Two professional engineers illustrate the proper care and practical benefits of cats." In this case, three cats. The video is narrated by engineer and "guy who has all those cats", who talks about food (especially tuna), cat hobbies (such...
- Feline Diabetes & Diet
please also read my May 2008 post More About Feline Diabetes & Diet ScienceDaily reports on a new study from Robert Backus, a University of Missouri-Columbia veterinarian which "...suggests that weight gain, not the type of diet, is more important...
- Catspeak
I don't usually like cute cat photos, but there is an interesting Internet meme going around about krazy kaptions of kat photos. I first found it on - Language Log, Kitty Pidgin and asymmetrical tail-wags, which referred me to - Anil Dash's...
- Interspecies Communication?!
Boomer has adopted a new vocalization to tell me he wants to be picked up, placed on the bathroom counter, and have the water turned on for him. This has prompted me to search for cat vocalization articles for my e-friend Eliot. Found something different,...
- Why Do Cats Purr?
I posed this question to Brain Boost last week, and I can't stop thinking about the (possible) answer. It's not really current news, but it's so interesting I'm posting it anyway: "A purring cat is not necessarily a happy one; many species-including...