Interbreeding may have boosted wildcat immunity to domestic cat diseases, but now threatens their survival as a distinct species
Humans weren’t the only creatures to fall under the sway of free love in the 1960s. After 2,000 years of keeping one another at paw’s length, wildcats and their domestic cousins began to interbreed about 60 years ago, a new study suggests.
Domestic cats are generally considered to have descended from Near Eastern wildcats that prowled the Fertile Crescent of the Middle East back when early human farmers began storing grain. They arrived in Britain – where European wildcats also lived – about 2,200 years ago.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Pure misery for Ricciardo after huge dramaDaniel Ricciardo’s day at the Brazil was over before it even began.
Read more »
Shona finished school at 11 and began her PhD at 15. Now she’s back in the maths classroomAfter two decades as a university lecturer and academic, maths prodigy Shona Yu decided to make a career shift to high school teaching.
Read more »
Shona finished school at 11 and began her PhD at 15. Now she’s back in the maths classroomAfter two decades as a university lecturer and academic, maths prodigy Shona Yu decided to make a career shift to high school teaching.
Read more »
Shona finished school at 11 and began her PhD at 15. Now she’s back in the maths classroomAfter two decades as a university lecturer and academic, maths prodigy Shona Yu decided to make a career shift to high school teaching.
Read more »
'It takes time to develop trust': Refugees less likely to report health conditions, study findsA new report on the health of refugees and humanitarian entrants in Australia shows the communities are much less likely to self-report cancer and mental health conditions, among other things.
Read more »
– two stars are born with this searing study of consentFirst-time British director Molly Manning Walker’s remarkable drama about a group of post-GCSE girls hellbent on partying in Crete features a career-making performance from new talent Mia McKenna-Bruce
Read more »