Cats crossed the Bering Strait just like the ancestors of American Indians supposedly did, according to research published in today's issue of Science.

Based on DNA analyses of the 37 living species of cats, researchers said the first cats crossed from Siberia to the Americas about nine millions years ago. As sea levels rose and fell, the cats migrated back and forth, contributing to the variety seen today, the researchers said.

As one example, the cheetah now found in Africa actually originated in the Americas three million years ago before crossing the Bering Strait back into Asia, according to the analysis.

Get the Story:
DNA Offers New Insight Concerning Cat Evolution (The New York Times 1/6)
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Science - http://www.sciencemag.org