Scientists have traced the roots of housecats not to Egypt but to wild Middle Eastern felines that interbred 150,000 years ago, producing the Felis sylvestris lybica.
The breed, whose name itself captures the sensuously ethereal essence of cathood, survives today in wild cats living in the Middle East, which have mitochondrial DNA identical to our feline friends.
Domestication of the cat -- which many cat "owners" would argue is more a matter of appearance than actuality -- began 10,000 years ago, as wild cats hunted rodents amidst the harvests of the first Fertile Crescent farmers.
On a related note, mitochondrial DNA analysis is also a valuable tool in human anthropology. I wrote an article yesterday about a new mtDNA database that promises to help population geneticists chart our own prehistoric journeys.
Domestic cats may have ancient roots [Associated Press]
