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The Genetics of Domestication

If you’ve ever owned a cat, you know that sometimes they feel only half domesticated, ready to become wild animals the second they make it out the door. But housecats are, in fact, genetically distinct from their wild cousins, having been domesticated some 10,000 years ago, right around the time that humans developed agriculture and settled into what became the beginnings of human civilization.

Today’s domestic cats are directly descended from the Near Eastern Wildcat (also called the African Wildcat) about 10,000 years ago, when it is thought that the desert dwelling wildcats started hunting the rodents that were attracted to the newly established grain stores that came with agriculture. Cats kept the rodent population down and in return were given a warm, dry place to sleep and a steady supply of food, leading to a sort of self-domestication where “they just hung out […] and humans tolerated them.” The more social the cats became, the more stable their place with humans was, leading eventually to cats becoming the most popular pets in the world.

A new study published recently in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Science examined the genomes of 22 domestic cats and compared them to the genomes of two European and two Near Eastern Wildcats. The researchers identified at least 13 genes linked to domestication, as they have clearly changed between wildcats and housecats. These genes are linked to things like learning, memory, and behavior: all things that make housecats more social than their solitary cousins. The idea that housecats are social may surprise some of you, but try petting that adorable wildcat next time you’re on the African savannah and you’ll see just how social Professor Snugglepants really is.

Another important set of genes uncovered by this study is involved with the migration of neural crest cells, stem cells that are immensely important in the developing embryo and control everything from skull shape to fur color. This finding supports the hypothesis that these cells are the ultimate controller of domesticity, something that would explain why domesticated animals share many similar traits such as smaller brains and certain coloration patters.

This is important because the main trademark of domestication is sociability, not only with other cats in this case but with humans and other animals such as dogs as well, which were domesticated some 30,000 years ago. The genes that control domestication may also control social development on an evolutionary scale, which could tell us something about how early humans evolved to be the social butterflies we are today.

References:

http://news.sciencemag.org/archaeology/2013/12/when-cats-became-comrades

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wildcat

Submitted by Kelsey M., Discoverer.

Edited by Jessica F.

Budgie raaaaptooorrrss.  Another daily doodle.  I did say that there’s like a 50% chance of budgies, right?

my dad just walked in, asked me “what do you get when you cross a joke with a rhetorical question?” and left

Though this blog is not exclusively animals, it's probably about 50% animal related stuff (that's probably a totally inaccurate guess - I can't tell). However I have an exclusively animal blog for cute animals with an emphasis on not being limited to puppies, kittens and bunnies: unconventionally-adorably.tumblr.com

Searching for animal blogs!

Please reblog if you post ANYTHING about animals (prehistoric and current), from pictures, science, medicine or even just stories! Even you only post about one animal, especially equestrian or veterinary blogs please reblog this so I and maybe others can find more people to follow :)

I found another library with artists’ books on Vine.  Nicely done, Robert E. Kennedy Library from California Polytechnic State University.  Even though you haven’t posted recently, you’ve won a fan.  

World’s Most Advanced 3D Printed Robotic Hand

The guys from OpenBionics presented their latest 3D printed robotic hand at CES 2015, worn by Dan who was born without a right hand. Most impressive.

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