Feline Origins Unveiled: Scientists Pinpoint Cat Domestication's True Source

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A groundbreaking genetic study has finally solved the age-old mystery of the domestic cat's origins. Contrary to long-held beliefs, researchers have discovered that modern house cats (Felis catus) descended from wildcats native to North Africa, not the Near East. The study, published in Science, analyzed the nuclear DNA of 70 ancient cats from 97 archaeological sites across Europe, Africa, and Anatolia, spanning 10,000 years. This extensive research revealed that the earliest evidence of true domestic cats in Europe dates back around 2,000 years, during the Roman Empire, rather than alongside Neolithic farmers 6,000–7,000 years ago. The new study challenges the dominant theory that domestic cats were domesticated around 9,500–10,000 years ago in the Fertile Crescent. Instead, it shows that early 'farmyard cats' in Europe were actually native wildcats (Felis silvestris), not direct ancestors of today's lap cats. The researchers attribute the major dispersal of domestic cats to the rise of Mediterranean maritime trade and the expansion of the Roman Empire. Cats, prized for their rodent-hunting abilities, were likely transported across North Africa, Sardinia, and into mainland Europe. The domestication of cats is a complex process that involves multiple regions. While North Africa emerged as the primary source, genetic and archaeological data from early studies pointed to the Near East and ancient Egypt. However, the new study highlights the complexities of domestication, which may have involved multiple centers and events. Early cat domestication is believed to have originated in two known centers: the Neolithic Levant region approximately 9,500 years ago and Pharaonic Egypt approximately 3,500 years ago. The remains of a cat interred next to a human in the Levant and depictions of cats in ancient Egyptian society provide evidence of domestication. The findings show that modern domestic cats are more closely linked to African wildcats than to Levantine cats. This study provides significant insights into the origins of contemporary domestic cats, but additional information from Egypt and other areas would be helpful in identifying source populations.