Ancestry Magazine

Heard of the seven daughters of Eve?

Maybe it’s time to make room for the five daughters of Fluffy. A recent study of the mitochondrial DNA of the common house cat found that the felines roaming the streets and sunning themselves in front windows today can all be traced back to just five mother wildcats.

Using mtDNA samples from cats around the globe, scientists from the National Cancer Institute concluded that the five mother cats are all members of the Near Eastern wildcat species originating in the deserts of Israel, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia approximately 10,000 years ago—the same time that we domesticated wheat and barley. Scientists are theorizing that these five particular mother cats were rewarded for keeping rodents away from the grain and were welcomed, along with their children, into the social realm of humans. The cats, who presumably liked their arrangement with humans, adapted themselves into the environment, domesticating themselves.

… and Dogs

Poodle? Schnauzer? Rat Terrier? If you’re stuck on just what kind of dog it is that you own, now you can turn to science for an answer. MMI Genomics offers the Canine Heritage Breed Test that uses doggy DNA to help you find the lineage lurking inside your pooch. Tests work just like the human type—a simple swab of the cheek—and results are returned within six weeks. Cost of the test, which can identify 38 distinct
breeds, is $65.