Cats first finagled their way into human hearts and homes thousands of years ago – here’s how

Natural selection changed just 13 genes to separate your Felix and Fluffy from their African wildcat ancestor.

By: Jonathan Losos, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: August 16, 2026

Words: 1,432

Last Updated: 2 days, 7 hours ago

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By Jonathan Losos, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to go on safari in southern Africa. One of the greatest thrills was going out at night looking for predators on the prowl: lions, leopards, hyenas.

As we drove through the darkness, though, our spotlight occasionally lit up a smaller hunter – a slender, tawny feline, faintly spotted or striped. The glare would catch the small …

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