Like the IQ which would decrease in Europeans, the size of the brain of domestic cats would shrink over the years.
In question ?
their domestication.
This is confirmed by a new scientific study, reports
Science Alert
relayed by Slate.
The researchers decided to compare the size of the skulls of domestic cats and that of the skulls of wild cats from Europe and Africa.
The conclusion is clear: “Domestic cats have smaller cranial volumes compared to European wildcats and the wild ancestors of domestic cats, the African wildcats.
»
Reduced production of neural crest cells
Same observation in wild and domestic hybrid cats: the size of their brain would be halfway that of the other two groups, confirming the researchers' hypothesis.
A thesis also already confirmed with regard to sheep, dogs and rabbits as well as cats thanks to several previous studies
According to scientists, human selection of the most docile cats to promote domestication would lead to the birth of cats producing fewer and fewer cells at the level of the neural crest, responsible for excitability and fear.
These physiological changes could thus lead to a change in the morphology and size of the brain.
This study confirms doubts agitating the scientific community since the 1960s, notes Slate.
The researchers admit, however, that the panel of species and the number of data should be broadened to allow for more convincing results.
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