[HN Gopher] New DNA analysis shows how cats spread around the wo...
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New DNA analysis shows how cats spread around the world (2016)
Author : jelliclesfarm
Score : 44 points
Date : 2022-09-30 23:58 UTC (2 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.smithsonianmag.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.smithsonianmag.com)
| s1artibartfast wrote:
| This is science news reporting based on a conference
| presentation.
|
| It appears that the work was published in a couple papers
| following the analysis. I recommend checking them out for the
| actual results and informative figures.
|
| https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-02397046/file/CatDomest...
|
| Figure 5A shows the dispersion of cat genotypes over time.
|
| Figure 7 shows some great illustrations of Tabby cat coat
| patterns drawn by the author, also demonstrating how serious
| science doesn't need to be dry and stuffy. I love the faces on
| the illustrated cats
|
| https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-03661986/document
|
| This paper builds on the prior work and clarifies a lot of the
| questions of historical context asked in this thread regarding
| Vikings, ect.
| tgflynn wrote:
| > Researchers recently traced their spread around the world to
| their relations with farmers and travels with merchants and
| Vikings
|
| ...
|
| > Geigl's team discovered that cats with a mitochondrial lineage
| from Egypt began appearing in Bulgaria, Turkey and sub-Saharan
| Africa between the fourth century B.C. and the fourth century
| A.D.
|
| That sounds much too early for Vikings. The connection with
| maritime trade makes sense but I don't see where Vikings fit into
| the picture.
| macintux wrote:
| The page is ambiguous, but I'm fairly confident they're not
| saying the 2nd wave ended in the 4th century A.D.
| tgflynn wrote:
| Then a better way to describe the "second wave" would
| probably be along the lines of "sailors have been spreading
| cats around the world since about 400 BCE". I think I've
| heard of islands that had no cats until they were visited by
| European ships in the 19th century, so it's a trend that
| likely didn't end until the whole world was colonized.
| sillyquiet wrote:
| Way too early. From the dates, its more likely to be Roman
| sailors and/or Roman-affiliated traders.
| jjtheblunt wrote:
| The next sentence says :
|
| In fact, a cat with the Egyptian mitochondrial DNA was found in
| a Viking site in North Germany dating between 700 and 1000 A.D.
|
| which means by the time Vikings were Vikings they already had
| cats, and could bring them along for their rides?
| goodpoint wrote:
| angst_ridden wrote:
| Surprised the tabby mutation is so recent.
|
| I could have sworn I'd seen older depictions in Buddhist art
| from India, but I'm probably confusing images representing
| tigers.
| rsynnott wrote:
| https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/could-couldnt-...
|
| As with the use of 'literally' to mean 'figuratively', it's now
| fairly standard and acceptable.
| kurtreed wrote:
| Not in serious writing
| Cous_Cous_Cous wrote:
| This is a grammatically correct sentence. It is a misuse of an
| idiom but semantic/idiomatic checks are not trivial.
| mikrl wrote:
| In my experience cats are remarkably aloof and seem like they
| _couldn't_ care less about me if they tried.
|
| More social animals such as dogs seem to care a bit too much
| about what I'm doing, and I feel like they could care less.
|
| </pedantry>
| MichaelCollins wrote:
| Cats can always care even less than you previously thought
| possible.
| dang wrote:
| " _Please don 't pick the most provocative thing in an article
| or post to complain about in the thread. Find something
| interesting to respond to instead._"
|
| https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
|
| ("could care less" is an idiom - no doubt not one that's used
| everywhere)
| jjtheblunt wrote:
| it's also a spelling of "couldn't care less" spoken
| colloquially with the "'nt" swallowed, i think, and many just
| repeat what they hear so it becomes the idiom, to your point.
| tgflynn wrote:
| I can't help but feel that the world would have been a better
| place if intelligence had arisen among felines rather than
| primates.
| SideburnsOfDoom wrote:
| I can't help but feel that the world would have been a worse
| place if intelligence had arisen among any obligate carnivore
| species, such as felines.
| tgflynn wrote:
| All biological life feeds on death. It's a self-devouring
| hell.
| s1artibartfast wrote:
| What a wild take. Both factually incorrect and overly
| negative.
|
| Is it so hellish that plants feed on the slow death of
| stars?
|
| Death is a part of life, and it is beautiful that it gives
| rise to other life.
| someweirdperson wrote:
| Most feeds on the living, death is just a consequence if
| being consumed.
| jjtheblunt wrote:
| what if it did among both?
| tgflynn wrote:
| I doubt they'd get along and I think the fault would be more
| on the monkeys side than the cats.
| sillyquiet wrote:
| Speaking of cats and the Viking age, cats played a prominent and
| mixed role in early medieval Scandinavia:
| https://www.academia.edu/42251199/The_Warrior_and_the_Cat_A_...
|
| Pull quotes from the summary: "Cat bones from many trading
| centres show cut marks from skinning and highlight the value of
| cat fur. In contrast, the occurrence of cats in male burials
| points rather to a function as exotic and prestigious pets. "
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