Category Archives: Evolution

Mashable

Florida residents can now challenge how climate change, evolution are taught in school Mashable Now in Florida, residents could possibly do the same with textbooks about the science behind climate change and evolution. Last week, Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that makes it easier for any Florida resident to object to classroom ... New Florida law lets any resident challenge what's taught in science classesThe Spokesman-Review all 8 news articles »

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Florida residents can now challenge how climate change, evolution are taught in school - Mashable

LISBON, PORTUGAL - JULY 23: Lyon's forward Alexandre Lacazette celebrates scoring Lyons goal during the Friendly match between Sporting CP and Lyon at Estadio Jose Alvalade on July 23, 2016 in Lisbon, Portugal. (Photo by Carlos Rodrigues/Getty Images)

Arsenal: Alexandre Lacazette the last nail in Kylian Mbappe coffin by Andrew Dowdeswell

Arsenal: Riyad Mahrez the perfect Alexandre Lacazette sequel by Andrew Dowdeswell

Alexandre Lacazette is seemingly set to sign for Arsenal. The Lyon striker has arrived in North London for a medical, ahead of completing a 52-million move. It is an extremely exciting move that is the type of high-profile signing that fans have been pining for. But there is much more to this addition than meets the surface.

To provide a little context for the impending signing of Lacazette, we must travel back to last summer. In very similar circumstances, Arsene Wenger was searching for a replacement for Olivier Giroud. But it is not a simple like for like replacement that Wenger is wanting to find.

In his quest to find an alternative striking option, Wenger was looking for a very particular type of player: a pacy, dynamic, direct centre-forward who can run the channels, stretch defences with their quickness and sharpness, and create space for the plethora of creative, ingenious attacking midfielders behind them as a result.

That is most definitely not the player that Giroud is. That is not to say that he is a bad player. He has a unique set of skills that few others in European football can replicate. His strength and size cause problems for opposing defences, while he boasts an excellent first touch with great awareness, meaning he is the perfect focal point with his back to goal, excelling in the neat interplay that Wenger demands of his teams.

Lacazette arriving is a sign that Wenger is wanting to alter his tactics.

There is a change and an evolution coming to the Arsenal. But there is more than just an alteration on the pitch that the addition of Lacazette eludes to.

His signing is also very different to that of the usual Arsenal transfer dealings. He will break the clubs record fee for a player, he is a big-name, high-profile star who has been pursued by several other sides, and will be added to the squad early in the window, showing a convictionand intention in the transfer window that is usually criticised for being so painfully absent.

The transfer is an exciting one, one that brings an element of optimism and hopefulness to the future. But it is also one that signals a changing of the times at the Emirates, and that is perhaps the most promising element of all.

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Arsenal: 52 million Alexandre Lacazette signals change and evolution - Pain In The Arsenal

Briefs| Travel

By Star-Advertiser News Services

Posted July 02, 2017

July 2, 2017

Updated July 2, 2017 12:05am

ASSOCIATED PRESS / 2007

A stilt walker cruised the playa during the Burning Man festival in Gerlach, Nev. The festival is featured in an exhibit at the Nevada Museum of Arts.

RENO, Nev. >> The City of Dust exhibit is on display at the Nevada Museum of Arts in Reno.

The Reno Gazette-Journal reports the exhibit, which traces the more than three-decade evolution of Burning Man, opened to the public Saturday.

Burning Man is an annual event that started as a bohemian beach gathering in San Francisco in 1986 and has morphed into a modern-day pop-up city in Nevadas Black Rock Desert.

More than 68,000 people flock to the desert each year to form a temporary metropolis dedicated to community, art, music, self-expression and self-reliance.

The 300-piece collection of Burning Man relics will remain open until Jan. 7.

After the exhibition in Reno, it will travel to the Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., in spring 2018.

This years Burning Man gathering is scheduled for Aug. 27 to Sept. 4.

Genoa creates special airport waiver for famed pesto sauce

ROME >> The Italian port city of Genoa has taken pride in its famed pesto sauce to new heights by granting special airport waivers for those who cant get enough of the basil and pine nut pasta sauce.

Genoas airport is letting travelers take as much as 500 grams of pesto (about 2 cups) in their carry-on luggage, exempting them from the 100-milliliter rule (about 6 tablespoons) for liquids in carry-on baggage. The catch: Passengers must make a donation of 50 cents or more to a charity that airlifts sick children to hospitals.

The airport said in a statement this week that some 500 euros (about $558) had been raised in the first 20 days of the initiative, which was inspired by the anguish of having to confiscate so many jars of pesto from foodies trying to get them through security.

thefamilybackpack.com

If mother knows best, why not turn to a whole lot of moms and dads for help in planning your next family adventure?

>> Name: thefamilybackpack.com

>> What it does: The easy-to-use website curates the best of family travel blogs for tips, advice, information and inspiration.

>> Whats hot: The website is not just about where to go; it is also stocked with important articles about allergies, vaccinations, bedbugs and illness. The site is particularly good for new parents and families who have not traveled a lot with young kids. Find articles such as Six Tips for Surviving Airline Travel With a Baby (The Wandering Daughter) and Flying With an Infant: Long-Haul (Babies Who Travel). The tips section aims to relieve stress with articles such as How to Get Your Kids More Excited About Vacation (Stuffed Suitcase) and Advice From Seven Years of Traveling With My Kids (This Is My Happiness). Dont miss the Educational Resources section for activities and games, photography tips, printables and more.

>> Whats not: The Destination section is divided into North America, Africa, Asia, Europe, South America and Oceania. There are plenty of posts within each, but the section could benefit from a city directory or a map of articles within.

Jen Leo, Los Angeles Times

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Burning Man exhibit documents evolution of Nevada event - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

By Owei Lakemfa

IN April 2012 when I was Acting General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress NLC, then Congress President, Abdulwaheed Omar walked into my office to inform that he had just received a call from the Executive Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai that he just landed at the Abuja airport and was heading to the NLC Office.

It was a shock to us as there was no previous contact. We also did not know what his mission was. The only hint we had was that he had stopped the Taraba State NLC Council elections and I had issued a statement that his action was illegal and will be challenged. We deliberated and concluded that it may not be strategic for us that the governor be seen driving in the normal Governors convoy with siren blaring into the NLC Office. More importantly, it may be better to avoid a direct meeting between him and the NLC President so we can tell him, we have to report back. So Omar agreed to call him, first to say he was unavailable, and secondly, that the Congress will send a delegation to meet him at a neutral venue not at the Congress or the Governors Lodge in Abuja. Suntai replied that since he was already on his way, it may be inappropriate for him to simply drive into a hotel or public place to hold a meeting. He persuaded Omar to let the meeting take place in the Lodge.

So NLC Deputy President, Kiri Mohammed and I met Suntai at the Lodge. After the initial courtesies, a curious Kiri noted that His Excellency seemed to be wearing a uniform. I interjected to say the governor was a pilot. He glowed. He seemed quite happy to be a pilot. I told him that I even knew when he graduated from the Aviation School in Zaria; that a bucket of water was poured on his head. He seemed quite impressed that I had followed his activities and said, he thought Taraba State was an isolated place that people will not pay much attention.

We then turned to the matter at hand. He said he had come to make a complaint against the NLC State Council, particularly its then Chairman. He claimed that the latter had constituted himself into the leader of opposition in the State, had become a security risk and was turning the NLC into an alternative government to the extent that it counters some of his directives. We asked him why he aborted the NLC Council elections. He said it was for security reasons.

We repeated that his action is illegal and unconstitutional as the constitution gives Nigerians the freedom of association including that to establish trade unions of their choice without interference. We also pointed out that he is not a member of the trade unions, so he had no business with the Council elections. After some arguments, I told him that following his abortion of the conference, I had spoken with the NLC Chair who claimed that State Government officials had campaigned against him and even decided to transfer him out of the State capital, but when it was clear he was still going to win the elections, armed policemen were sent to abort the conference. The Governor insisted that what he did was in the interest of the State. I told him that the NLC was calling a fresh conference in the State, advised him to let it hold, but that if he stopped it, Congress will not only challenge him, but will move the conference to a neigbouring state or Abuja.

The Governor said he was pro-workers, did not want an altercation with the NLC and promised to allow the new elections hold. But he asked for a concession; that the outgoing Chairman be barred from contesting the elections as a victory would undermine his standing or authority in the State. We told him it was impossible; that all workers who meet the Congress constitutional requirements have the right to contest and that we had screened all candidates before the State Council elections held nationwide and that the outgoing Chairman was eligible.

We told him that if workers voted for the Chairman then that meant he was representing them well and that it would be in the interest of his government to work with whoever emerges as the Chairman.

I then said that the Chairman had revealed to me that he and His Excellency were very close friends before he became governor. Suntai confirmed that but said the Chairman was an ingrate. He said he had offered the Chairman a seat in his cabinet, but that he had turned it down saying he preferred to remain the NLC Chairman, and that the latter had proposed his brother to take his place. He said in appreciation of his campaigns for him to be governor, he had appointed the Chairmans brother as the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice and also agreed to give the NLC a choice land and build a secretariat for the State NLC but that the Chairman later turned against him.

I told Suntai I was impressed by the conduct of the Congress Chairman who rejected an appointment many lobby for and who despite his closeness to the governor remained upright leading the States workers. Suntai kept to his words; the State NLC elections held, the outgoing Chairman was re-elected and both men worked together as best as they could. He also retained the Chairmans brother in his cabinet.

Suntai and I hit it off; he called me regularly when he came to Abuja. One day he proposed that I be his guest in the State. I politely declined and explaining that as NLC Scribe, I will be unable to explain convincingly, my presence in his aircraft piloted by him, and in any case, what explanation will I give Taraba Sate workers; that the Governor is my friend and that I was on a private visit? Sometimes when we met, he raised non-labour matters.

You can imagine my shock and sadness when news filtered on October 25, 2012 that Suntais aircraft, with him behind the controls, had crashed at the Yola international Airport. He survived with brain injuries, hearing and speech impairment. For five years he battled courageously against his injuries, at a time he even returned to office. I never met him again. On June 28, 2017, news came that he finally succumbed to his injuries; it was two days short of his 56th birthday. He was a gentleman who made governance seem easy. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace and may God console his family and loyalists who stood by him at all times. Ameen.

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Danbaba Suntai: The evolution of a relationship - Vanguard

The caring so needed in our shrinking world must go beyond caring for those we know and have actual ties to and investment in. The call is for caring for the collective human family and especially the most vulnerable and disenfranchised among us.

We need to resist in ourselves and our leaders that strong evolutionary survival tendency to achieve quality life only for ourselves and "our kind." Evolution was once necessarily and unconsciously barbaric in its survival of the most physically fit.

That need has changed. Human consciousness, not evolved to its present potential in past epochs, is now called on to shape the future of evolution. This shifts the need from viewing life as the "great competition" to the new epoch of cooperation and compassion toward all people and nature.

The hope-filled potential for a world-embracing compassionate consciousness I think has made a giant leap in the last century. Only humans can supply this feature to nature which alone leads to a more healed world. But we're not forced to embrace such a compassionate consciousness. We can instead stick to the well-worn paths of smaller mindedness.

Times are a changin' and new times call for a tough but compassionate and wise consciousness. These are the new key for the survival of our species and planet. The great world religions all point to such an era of surviving compassion. Are we already too late in receiving the saving compassionate consciousness which has been a cosmic goal of evolution for millennia?

Jim Hibbett

Riverton

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Letter: Evolution's new era of compassion - The State Journal-Register

World War II Vet Bob Emick 94 celebrates Uncle Sams upcoming birthday with Evolution Dance at Savannah Center.

Evolution Dances Independence Day celebrationSaturdaybrought bittersweet memories for dancer Mary Ann Dailey and fighting words from World War II veteran Bob Emick. When asked if he was happy to enjoy the Flags, Freedom and Fireworks show at Savannah Center, Emick, 94,gave a classic American reply: hell yeah. And if that wasnt enough, this real life Yankee Doodle Dandy added one more thing: Im going to be 95 next week. Happy birthday Mr. Emick, and happy birthday Uncle Sam. For Mary Ann Dailey, the joy of the holiday was mixed with love, gratitude and longing for her late husband, Joseph C. Dailey. He served two tours of Vietnam with the Army and died five years ago from Agent Orange.

Mary Ann Dailey made her Evolution Dance debut Saturday and paid tribute to her late husband Joseph Dailey a Vietnam veteran.

I miss him and I dedicated my performancetonightto him, Dailey said. Tonight, we saluted my husband and all Vietnam veterans. Thats important to me and everyone else.

Larry Rivellese

The night kicked off in Patriotic style when Larry Rivellese fresh off his appearance on NBC-TV with Steve Harvey brought the crowd to its feet with a stirring version of the National Anthem. Its an honor for me to sing that song, Rivellese said. A number of the performances in the music and dancing extravaganza were dedicated to Vietnam veterans. They included: A Soldiers Letter, read to parents played by Sue Schuler and Jack Filkins. The Ballad of the Green Berets, by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler, and danced to by Rose Bianchini, Dolores Pittaro and Rosie Theiss. Also Billy Joels Goodnight Saigon, featuring Richard Blanchard, Chip Fuller, Phip Fuller, Frank Olive and Carter Poust.

Also, a table with an empty chair was in front of center stage, to honor those Missing in Action, held prisoner, or killed serving America. There was also a tribute to women veterans with the song Remembering the Hero, featuring Dailey along with dancers Kathy Chesley-Williams, Jacqie Davis, Paige Fleming, Mollie McCarthy, Leslie Rosenberg, Sue Schuler, Yuri Sohn, Diane Vargas and Dianne Zugnoni. Ive been dancing a long time but this was my first performance for Evolution Dance and that made it more special, said Dailey, a New Jersey native who moved to The Villages with her husband 10 years ago.

Diane Vargas, far right, and Carter Poust, center, during the Stars and Stripes Finale.

The entire Evolution Dance production was filled with emotion, joy, sadness and drama. Thats the way we wanted it because thats what makes an entertaining show, Diane Vargas, artistic director of Evolution Dance along with Helene Yelverton. The Fourth of July is about celebration, but its also about remembering the men and women who have served this country in the Armed Forces, Vargas said. The biggest thrill for us, is when the military veterans in the audience enjoy what we do. Thats what its all about. This show percolated with energy, talent and appreciation for veterans. It began in style with some rousing World War II numbers. The whole company was jumping and jiving to such 1940s classics as Sing Sing Sing, In the Mood Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy and Crazy Feet a delightful tap number by Helene Yelverton, with some help from Frank Olive and Carter Poust. Poust was in fine, vocal form, saluting the vets in the audience while singing This is Our Country. The tapping was frenetic on Yankee Doodle Dandy, with Violet Ray joined by Dailey, Chesley-Williams, McCarthy, Pittaro and Theiss.

Yuri Sohn does the split during a dance at Savannah Center.

Yuri Sohn, along with Vargas and the Fuller twins mixed ballet and contemporary dance moves on Strike Up the Band. The whole cast took to chairs while dancing, singing and slapping their knees on a red-white-and blue Our Favorite Son from Follies. The show closed with a fitting, explosive Stars and Stripes Finale. This was a great night, Vargas said afterwards. We started doing this last year and we hope to make it a tradition and do it every year. It means a lot of all of us. Just like the Fourth of July.

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Evolution Dance's Independence Day show ramps up plenty of patriotic feelings - Villages-News

WASHINGTON

Turkey has always prided itself on being a secular state.

The nation enshrined the separation of church and state in its constitution by constitutional amendment in 1928. But that was nearly a century ago, and about 99 percent of the nations citizens are now identified as Muslim.

Watch: Evolution vs. Erdogan: Turkey Struggles with Basic Science

The current government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has received some criticism for eroding the countrys historic commitment to secularism and moving the nation in a more fundamentalist direction.

Recently, in a decision that many saw as moving Turkey away from secularism and toward Islam, the government banned the teaching of evolution in high school.

That means Turkish students entering high school will no longer learn naturalist Charles Darwins theory that all living things share a common ancestor. It is a simple idea that is the foundation of the study of life on Earth and beyond.

In explaining its decision, the government said it is not about Islam. Instead, officials said that students, Dont have the necessary scientific background and information-based context needed to comprehend the theory.

Alpaslan Durmus, head of the education ministrys curriculum board, said members thought the theory should be taught to higher-level students.

We tried to leave out some of the controversial issues from our students agenda, Durmus added.

Unable to compete on world stage

Whatever their reason, critics say the practical outcome is that Turkish children will not get the education they need to compete on the world stage.

The Turkish education system is very weak concerning the fundamental sciences, secular scholar Alaattin Dincer told VOA. Both in domestic and international exams; be it in math, physics, chemistry and biology, our students have very low passing grade percentages. It is actually terribly low.

If you dont tell our children, the next generation, about science and evolution and Darwin; if you raise them without them learning those subjects, how can you argue that we are a scientifically enlightened country that can producer the scientists of the future? How can you tell them this? Dincer asked.

Other critics say it is part of a plan by President Erdogan to embed an official Islamic identity into Turkish society. But like Catholic scholars, many Islamic theologians say evolution and Islam can co-exist quite easily.

If something has scientific truth, then you cannot stand against it, Ihsan Eliacik, a Muslim theologian, told VOA. If evolution is scientific truth that exists in nature, nobody can stand against it. Because it is true. Fiction cannot cover a lie. A religious faith cannot destroy truth. Besides, by my religious faith, scientific truth means religious truth. The two are not contradictory.

VOA Turkish Services Tan Cetin contributed to this story.

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Turkey Moves Further From Secularism in Dropping Evolution From Schools - Voice of America

The first Apple iPhoneis now 10 years old. Over that time it has become a revolutionary piece of hardware. But its gesture-based iPhone OS software -- now called iOS -- has been just as revolutionary.

Here's how Apple's groundbreaking mobile operating system has evolved from iPhone OS 1.0 to iOS 11, set to come out later this year.

Photo by: Artur Debat/Getty Images

For all its fanfare, the first iOS was somewhat limited. There was no App Store yet, so early adopters could only use the simple apps that came preloaded. It was basically an iPod with a phone built in.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Much of the web was still unready for the mobile revolution back in 2007. It's a good thing you could pinch to zoom.

Photo by: Jonathan Torgovnik/Getty Images

Apple's iPhone OS 2 launched with the iPhone 3G in July 2008. The OS update brought several important new features, including always-on email push, Google Maps Street View and most importantly the App Store.

Photo by: Mario Tama/Getty Images

The third major iteration of the iPhone operating system introduced multimedia messaging (MMS), video recording, spotlight search and voice control.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

iPhone OS 3.0 was also the first version with cut, copy and paste functionality.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The release of iOS 4.0 brought with it multitasking, spell check and custom wallpapers.

Photo by: T3 Magazine

Apple's new iPhone 4, running iOS 4.0 out of the box, introduced the concept of FaceTime video conferencing. At first, the feature only worked when connected to a Wi-Fi network.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The 2011 launch of iOS 5 brought wireless updates to the iPhone, allowing it to be updated without connecting it to a computer via iTunes. The new iMessage instant messenger feature, meanwhile, allowed the sending and receipt of multimedia content over Wi-Fi.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Another huge improvement in iOS 5 was iCloud, which synced your contacts and other personal data.

Apple gave away the first 5GB of cloud storage for free; 15GB of storage cost $20 per year.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

iOS 5 also marked the introduction of Siri, Apple's voice-activated digital assistant. It was only available on the iPhone 4S at first.

Photo by: Karen Bleier/AFP/Getty Images

The sixth version of iOS, released alongside the iPhone 5 (seen here), brought deep Facebook integration, Passbook, panoramic photos and the ability to make FaceTime calls over your cellular network.

Photo by: John Moore/Getty Images

Apple's switch from Google Maps to Apple Maps, which also occurred in iOS 6, was terribly received. The not-ready-for-primetime replacement included numerous graphics bugs and a large number of incorrect and out-of-date business listings.

Photo by: Screenshot by Fox Van Allen

Apple's iOS 7 brought a total visual refresh to the iPhone with its simple, flat-icon style.

Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software engineering, explained that the shadowing and texture effects used on icons in the past was a way to distract from the limitations of the display. "But with a display this precise," says Federighi, "there's nowhere to hide. So we wanted a clear typography."

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Beyond the new look, iOS 7 brought a new control and notifications center, AirDrop, CarPlay support and the option to change Siri's gender.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

iOS 7 also brought with it Touch ID support. Though only available on the iPhone 5S at the time, being able to authenticate through your fingerprint is now a staple of modern phones.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The eighth major version of iOS kept the flat look of iOS 7 while adding useful new features. The iPhone got cross-platform continuity with Mac and iPad (Handoff), QuickType predictions, family sharing, Wi-Fi calling, time-lapse photos, Notification Center widgets and this handy Battery Usage feature that shows you what's draining your battery.

Photo by: CNET

The iOS 8.1 update introduced Apple Pay for contactless payments via near field communication (NFC) and a dedicated payment chip on the iPhone 6 and later devices.

The service got off to a mixed start, with major retailers Walmart and Best Buy refusing to accept Apple Pay as a result of exclusivity deals with a failed competing service.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Apple Music subscription streaming service arrived with the iOS 8.4 update, pushed to iPhones and iPads shortly after the 2015 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference.

Photo by: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Apple's iOS 9 introduced a low-power mode, a Night Shift mode for easy reading after dark and mass transit support for Maps. The Notes app also got an update, seen here, that allows you to sketch with your finger.

Photo by: CNET

Apple also added the News app in iOS 9. Similar to the app Flipboard, the news aggregator keeps you informed by constantly refreshing headlines from your favorite news sites, CNET included.

Photo by: CNET

The current iteration of iOS, version 10, introduced a sticker store for the Messages app, predictive emoji, chat bubble animations, facial recognition that bundles your photos together by person, and a Bedtime feature to help you get the perfect night's sleep.

Photo by: NurPhoto

Apple's iOS 10 also includes a new Home app that brings together and manages all your compatible smart home devices.

Photo by: CNET

It's only available in beta right now, but Apple has packed a ton of new features into iOS 11.Control Center can be customized, Live Photos can be edited, Siri can translate certain languages and there's a new one-handed keyboard.

Those who install iOS 11 on an iPad will also get a MacBook-like dock on the bottom of their screens.

Photo by: CNET

Photo by: CNET

Related Product

The most beautiful phone ever has one wildly annoying issue

The Samsung Galaxy S8's fast speeds and fantastic curved screen make it a top phone for 2017, but the annoying fingerprint reader could sour your experience.

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The evolution of Apple iOS - CNET

If you're struggling to up your Gold Coin game in "Angry Birds Evolution," we've got the help you need.

Angry Birds Evolution is a free-to-play game that requires the usage of several kinds of currencies, including Gold Coins. These are an important part of the game, and you'll want to get as many as you can if you want to evolve your favorite birds to take the fight to the pigs. You won't just amass a hundred or so coins overnight or anything like that, but this guide will help you fluff up your stores of gold coins to ensure you've got enough to bypass spending real money on them. It will take a little time, but if you follow these steps you'll be rolling in the dough in no time.

Collect birds to sell them whenever possible

You can collect birds in "Angry Birds Evolution" as you play, and they're worth a set amount of coins. Each regular bird is worth 10 gold coins depending on how many stars it has. If you receive a 1-star bird, that means you can turn it around for 10 coins. If you have a 2-star bird, you can sell it for 20 coins. The goes on up to 50 coins per 5-star birds. Sell the lesser birds worth 20 and 30 coins and sell a couple of your higher-rarity birds, but hang on to some of them for other purposes in-game. These are some of the quickest and surefire ways to get additional coinage.

modojo.com is a leading online provider of videogame, entertainment and lifestyle content, as well as community and interactive services. Read more at modojo.com.

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Game tips: 'Angry Birds Evolution,' how to get more gold coins - Quad-Cities Online

Animal domestication is an interesting thing. Domesticating wild animals, for instance, is overwhelmingly considered unjust captivity, but we view companion animals in our home far differently.

Bred with particular traits in order to make them more cooperative to captivity, many environmental ethicists would call domestication morally problematic because it creates unnatural companions that are stunted and inferior versions of their wild ancestors.

A new study, however, may put cat lovers at ease.

The study, recently published inNature Ecology & Evolution, analyzed DNA from more than 200 cats spanning the last 9,000 years, including ancient Romanian cat remains, Egyptian cat mummies, and modern African wildcat specimens.

The analysis found that cats lived for thousands of years alongside humans before they were domesticated. And during that time, their genes didnt change from wildcats, except for the distinctive stripes and dots of the tabby cat.

According to the research, the ancestors of todays domesticated felines came from southwest Asia, and spread to Europe by 4400 B.C. The data suggests that the cats began congregating around farming communities in the Fertile Crescent about 8,000 years ago. It was here that they settled into the laps of humans on their own accord. While the cats fed off of the mice and rats around the humans crops and other agricultural byproducts, humans welcomed the rodent control. And so a mutually beneficial relationship ensued.

This is probably how the first encounter between humans and cats occurred, explainedstudy coauthor Claudio Ottoni of the University of Leuven. Its not that humans took some cats and put them inside cages.

Another look at African cats in Egypt, which spread into the Mediterranean and most of the Old World beginning around 1500 B.C., showed that humans were likely attracted to cats because of traits like sociability and tameness.

The analysis reveals the possibility that prehistoric human populations likely carried their cats along ancient land and sea trade routes to keep rodents at bay.

Ultimately, the data shows that cats became domesticated companions of humans without changing much, if at all, from their wild state, which reveals that while cats certainly took their time, which should come as no surprise, they certainly chose to be domesticated.

Dogs, on the other hand, which were the first animals to be domesticated, were selected to perform specific tasks, which ultimately led to particular traits being bred. Now, a diverse rangeof dog breeds exists today.

I think that there was no need to subject cats to such a selection process since it was not necessary to change them, said coauthor Eva-Maria Geigl. They were perfect as they were.

Were discovering incredible things about where theyve come from, how far theyve gone, and what kind of impact theyve had on humans, said Ottoni. I think studying more about this species is going to open up even more about the domestication process.

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Cats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA Shows - Collective Evolution