Claudio Ottoni

A foraging teenager was mauled by a bear 27,000 years ago, skeleton shows The remains of a teenage boy who lived around 27,000 years ago suggest he was attacked by a cave bear—some of the first direct evidence of a predator attacking an ancient human

“He was probably a budding hunter still learning his skills when this happened,” the lead scientist said

We have updated our website with a selection of interviews and media coverage of our article! www.ercfelix.com/public_outre...
...and in our News section you can find a free-access reprint link to the paper www.ercfelix.com/new-paper-ou... @erc.europa.eu

A 5500-year-old Treponema pallidum genome from Sabana de Bogotá, Colombia Treponematosis, a bacterial infection caused by Treponema pallidum subspecies and T. carateum (yaws, bejel, syphilis, pinta), has afflicted humans for millennia. Despite paleopathological evidence and...

Treponemal diseases might have been with us much longer than previously thought! In our recent study, we used ancient DNA to reconstruct a 5,500-year-old 𝘛𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘥𝘶𝘮 genome, revealing a previously unknown divergent subspecies.
You can check it out here:
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Thanks!!

Congrats Kevin!!

Cover of the vol. 390, issue n°6776 of Science (AAAS) featuring a shorthair domestic cat.

🚨NEW pub in @science.org !!!🚨

🐈‍⬛🐈 The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2,000 years ago 🐈‍⬛🐈

Our article provides novel evidence suggesting new hypotheses about the history of domestic cats!🧬

🧵

The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...

After a four-year journey, my PhD work is out in @science.org
Endless gratitude to the amazing @felix-erc.bsky.social team, all coauthors and collaborators, and my loved ones. Without you all this couldn't be real! 💛🐱✨
@erc.europa.eu @nationalgeographic.bsky.social
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...

What's that? 5 ancient doggy papers in 10 days is too many dogs?

Can I interest you in some cats?

Perhaps a complete retelling of cat domestication, dispersal, and replacement across Eurasia?

As you wish!

Science
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Cell Genomics
www.cell.com/cell-genomic...

Talking about this on #BBCWorldService Weekend tomorrow.

When did cats become domesticated? New DNA evidence changes the story. A new study overturns previous findings that domestic cats originated thousands of years earlier.

www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/arti...

The Incredible, Unlikely Story of How Cats Became Our Pets Two new studies dig into the long, curving path that cats took toward domestication

Cats DNA

Analysis of ancient DNA rewrites origin story of domestic cats Analysis of ancient DNA rewrites origin story of domestic cats

Analysis of ancient DNA rewrites origin story of domestic cats

A shorthair domestic cat gazes upward.

The domestic cat may be a far more recent arrival to Europe than previously thought, a new Science study. finds. The results offer new insight into one of humanity’s most enigmatic animal companions and identify North Africa as the cradle of the modern housecat.

Learn more: https://scim.ag/44kov1S

The late arrival of domestic cats in China via the Silk Road after 3,500 years of human-leopard cat commensalism Leopard cats lived commensally with humans in ancient China for over 3,500 years before domestic cats were introduced via Silk Road merchants around 1,400 years ago. Ancient DNA shows that while two s...

and yet more cats from ancient China in this great paper on #CellGenomics!!🐈
@cellpress.bsky.social spkl.io/63320AdF6i

The dispersal of domestic cats from North Africa to Europe around 2000 years ago The domestic cat (Felis catus) descends from the African wildcat Felis lybica lybica. Its global distribution alongside humans testifies to its successful adaptation to anthropogenic environments. Unc...

Well, finally the cat is out of the bag @science.org! (or at least part of a very complex story)🐈🧬. Great job from @mdemartino.bsky.social and my team @felix-erc.bsky.social. Huge thanks to all the colleagues and the institutes involved! @erc.europa.eu www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...