Long before cats became the darlings of Facebook and YouTube, they spread through the ancient human world. Researchers analyzed DNA from 209 ancient cats as old as 9,000 years from Europe, Africa and Asia, including some ancient Egyptian cat mummies. They stored grain, which drew rodents, which in turn attracted wild cats. The new study tracked the spread of specific cat DNA markers over long distances through time, a sign that people had taken cats with them. The extensive sampling of cat DNA going back so far in time is unprecedented, he said.

Source: ABC News June 19, 2017 15:04 UTC