Mr. Hohn's Period 8 Media Blog: Yumi Sato Term 2 Biomedia Report

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Yumi Sato Term 2 Biomedia Report

Kitty DNA Shows Cats Have Evolved To Learn From Treats

by Francie Diep November 10, 2014 (link)

Summary:

An international team of geneticists have read the DNA of domestic cats (the most thorough as of yet), and have found interesting things. This research is based on the first attempt at sequencing the cat genome, which was published in 2007. This is the first time the cat genome has been read carefully enough to provide more details about humans and evolution have changed them. Among the genes, natural selection favored the ones for sharp hearing and eyesight. Genes influenced by humans (artificial selection) include how the brain responds to to rewards. Furthermore, domestic cats have genes that influence the development of their brains when they are embryos; these are similar to those in pigs and other tamed animals. Cats also seem to have more genes related to digesting fat compared to other carnivores, and the polar bear genome has similar markers of selection for fat-digesting genes.

Relevance:

This article is relevant to our current unit because it is about the evolution of both wild and domestic cats. The article talks about how both natural selection and artificial selection influenced the genome of cats. Artificial selection (humans) favors traits including docility, and doing something in exchange for a treat, while natural selection favors traits such as sharp senses.

Citation:
Diep, Francie. "Kitty DNA Shows Cats Have Evolved to Learn From Treats."Popular Science. Bonnier Corporation Company, 10 Nov. 2014. Web. 7 Jan. 2014.

2 comments:

AnonymousJanuary 10, 2015 at 12:57 PM
Would you say artificial selection had the biggest impact on the evolution of cats based on what humans do to them?
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The Assignment

For this assignment, you will need to find a media file online that is related to a topic from the current term in Honors Biology. You will upload these files here and write a text description of the file and its relevance to the curriculum as part of your post. Be sure to include the full URL for the website, author's name and date of the publication if available. Your piece of media must relate to something from the current term and must have been published within the last calendar year.

The Summary 2 points

- File is described clearly

- Student effectively emphasizes the major points of the file

The Description of its Relevance 2 points

- Relevance of broadcast is clear

- Student makes specific connections to the curriculum

Ask Questions to Classmates (1 point each) 2 points

- Ask a relevant question based on the posts of two of your classmates

- If a classmate already has 2 questions on his/her blog post, please find a different post on which to comment.

Answer the Questions from your Classmates (1 point each) 2 points

- Answers should be as accurate as possible.

- You should research answers and provides link to your research if relevant.

- It is OK to say that you couldn't find an answer if your research turns up nothing, but propose a possible answer.