In order to
determine the specific characteristics of domestication, the genomes of
purebred cats were sequenced during the cat genome sequencing project of 2007. It
turns out that docility, hair patterns, and hair color are all traits that are
linked to domestication. This made sense because modern breeds are bred by
humans to have some of these particular characteristics. A breed of cat called
Birman were also investigated in this study. This breed of cat is notable for
its characteristic white paws. After researching the reason behind this trait,
it was found that Birmans have white paws due to just two small changes in the
gene associated with hair color. In addition, this genetic change was shown to
be present in all Birman cats. Due to this, it can be shown that humans bred
these cats selectively for their white paws and that this change in their
genome occurred over a short period of time.
I find this article interesting because it
describes the relationship between genetics and domestication. By discovering
that domestication involves changing a species on a genetic level, it can be
concluded that any animal can be domesticated given enough time for these
changes to occur. Therefore, by domesticating new animals of different types,
humans will be better able to use animals to complete tasks or keep them as
pets.
I did a similar article but it was about the domestication of dogs. I find it interesting that they can find out the domestication of cats by coat color. Dogs domestication was found by testing the DNA of dog fossils.
ReplyDeleteThis is a interesting article because how they can tell the domestication by hair color or hair pattern. This article is good because it relates genetics and domestication concepts. Plus cats are cute and fun to play with.
ReplyDeleteI found this article interesting because i didn't know that hair color could be affected by domestication, which makes sense because humans select for specific colors when breeding cats, or any animal for that matter. But I never thought of it on a genetic/domestication level.
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