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Discusses the genetic maps of human and animal genomes. Emergence and disappearance of mammalian species; Evolution of genetic science; Development of mammalian gene maps; Efforts to understand genetic distribution to diseases and other biological phenomena; Biomedical applications of comparative genomics; Significance of comparative genomics.

Examines reasons behind selecting dog for full-genome sequencing by researchers. Goals of the International Human Genome Project; Progress registered in dog genetics; Process used in building dog genome sequence.

The world's domestic cats carry patterns of sequence variation in their genome that reflect a history of domestication and breed development. A genetic assessment of 979 domestic cats and their wild progenitors—Fells silvestris silvestris (European wildcat), F. s. lybica (Near Eastern wildcat), F. s. ornata (central Asian wildcat), F. s. cafra (southern African wildcat), and F. s. bieti (Chinese desert cat)—indicated that each wild group represents a distinctive subspecies of Fells silvestris. Further analysis revealed that cats were domesticated in the Near East, probably coincident with agricultural village development in the Fertile Crescent. Domestic cats derive from at least five founders from across this region, whose descendants were transported across the world by human assistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]