Latest news with #Pharaohs'
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Heirs of Egyptian Pharaohs' Cats Are Living Among Us: Is Your Cat Descended From Royalty?
Archaeologists and historians have known for decades that ancient Egyptians worshipped cats, but recent research has proven that the Pharaohs had an even more significant impact on the species than previously thought. In fact, the descendants of the Pharaohs' cats are likely living among us today, making the Egyptians the world's first cat breeders. To celebrate its new line of premium SHEBA SELECTIONS Filets, the SHEBA cat food brand is looking for a premium cat to worship like the ancient Egyptians. On April 3, the University of Missouri's Feline Genetics & Comparative Medicine Lab and feline researcher Dr. Leslie Lyons officially began the search for the next royal cat. Famous cat dad Nathan the Cat Lady hosts the search for the Egyptian cats' descendants, but cat parents can also use SHEBA's new 'Pharaoh Cat Finder tool' to explore their pets' similarities to the ancients. Best of all, your cat can get their paws on a free sample from SHEBA, too! Could your cat be a descendant of the Pharaoh's cats? This is going to be a fascinating endeavor, but for Dr. Leslie Lyons, this is only the next step in her already extensive research. Dr. Lyons and her team were the first scientists to sample DNA from mummified cats, and they did so with three main goals in mind: Successfully extracting DNA from a mummified cat Discovering whether ancient cats and contemporary cats shared any DNA sequences in common Learning where in the world cats with 'Pharaoh's blood' are located For this research, Dr. Lyons and her team studied two bones from the Brooklyn Museum and a jawbone from the Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UC Berkeley. In a sterile laboratory, they used a process called Polymerase Chain Reaction to separate and identify specific regions of the DNA called mitotypes."In genetics," explains Dr. Lyons, "'mitotypes' represent a group of mitochondrial DNA variations that are inherited together from only the mother." In other words, any royal cats found through this campaign will all be related to the Pharaohs' cats through their mother's genes, not their father's. Once Dr. Lyons' team extracted the DNA sequence they were looking for, they began the painstaking task of comparing it to the DNA sequence of modern-day cats. "The mitotype of Pharaoh cats is very rare and easy to distinguish from the mitotypes of other modern-day cats that are descendants from other historical populations," Dr. Lyons said, "so once we were able to identify the DNA sequences, we were then able to compare with samples of cats living amongst us today and find matches." What they found is that the DNA sequence shared by Pharaoh's cats is still around today! While the DNA sequence, or mitotype, isn't found only in a specific cat breed, it has been found in two specific locations around the world: Egypt and the United States. That means that your average feral cat could actually be a Pharaoh cat! Meanwhile, Nathan's search for the royal descendant continued! After comparing ancient cat DNA and modern cat DNA, Dr. Lyons is teaming up with SHEBA and Nathan the Cat Dad to help find the next royal cat. Nathan will be meeting cats from across the country to find the feline with the highest DNA match to the Pharaoh cats. If one is found, and perhaps even crowned, they'll receive a lifetime supply of SHEBA cat food so that they can eat like royalty for the rest of their days. Although cat parents can't submit their fur babies to be a part of the video series, they can use the AI-powered Pharaoh Cat Finder tool to see how much their cats have in common with the ancient Egyptian felines. Remember, this fun tool is based on physical features, not DNA, so it's just an estimation! To meet a few of the cats who may be contenders for the royal title, take a peek at part 3 of the video series. By submitting your cat's photo to the campaign, you can receive a free sample of SHEBA SELECTIONS Filets regardless of your kitty's results. But if your cat has a high percentage in common with the Pharaoh's cats, it may be time to start treating them like the royalty they are! Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.
Al-Ahram Weekly
03-04-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Egypt start 2025 FIFA ranking campaign in 32nd place - National Teams
Egypt's national football team began the 2025 FIFA ranking campaign in 32nd place, according to the latest global rankings released on Thursday. The Pharaohs climbed one spot from December 2024's rankings after securing victories over Ethiopia and Sierra Leone in the African qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup in March. Egypt have already qualified for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Morocco, topping Group C with 14 points. They also lead Group A in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers with 16 points after six matches. Under head coach Hossam Hassan, Egypt remain the third-highest-ranked team in Africa, behind Morocco and Senegal. Moreover, they hold second place in the Arab world, trailing only Morocco, which moved up two places in the latest global rankings. Egypt previously broke into the world's top 10 after winning three consecutive AFCON titles in 2006, 2008, and 2010. The Pharaohs' next official match will be in September against Ethiopia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. Argentina retained the top spot in the latest FIFA rankings, while Spain rose to second place, swapping positions with France. The Netherlands, now sixth, also switched places with Portugal in the top 10. April's FIFA world rankings (December's rankings in parentheses): 1- Argentina (1) 2- Spain (3) 3- France (2) 4- England (4) 5- Brazil (5) 6- The Netherlands (7) 7- Portugal (6) 8- Belgium (8) 9- Italy (9) 10- Germany (10) Top 10 African teams: 12- Morocco (14) 19- Senegal (17) 32- Egypt (33) 36- Algeria (37) 41- Côte d'Ivoire (46) 43- Nigeria (44) 49- Tunisia (52) 50- Cameroon (49) 53- Mali (51) 56- South Africa (57) Top five Arab teams: 12- Morocco (14) 32- Egypt (33) 36- Algeria (37) 49- Tunisia (52) 55- Qatar (48) (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
31-03-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Fencing: Egypt wins historical 2025 World Cup title
Egypt's men's sabre team secured their first-ever gold medal in the World Cup after defeating hosts and World champions, Hungary, on Sunday in Budapest. The Pharaohs' squad, comprising Ziad Elsissy, Mohamed Amer, Adham Moataz, and Mazen El-Araby, clinched the title with a 45-37 win over Hungary. They had an impressive run as they began their campaign with a 45-30 win over Bulgaria in the round of 32 before defeating Romania 45-38 in the last 16. In the quarter-finals, they stunned 2024 Olympic gold medalists, South Korea, 45-42 victory, then pulled another remarkable spectacle against France 45-43 in the semi-final. Egypt finished on top of the final ranking with 64 points, while Hungary finished second with 52. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
30-03-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Fencing: Egypt wins historical 2025 World Championship title - Omni sports
Egypt's men's sabre team secured their first-ever gold medal in the World Championship after defeating hosts and defending champions, Hungary, on Sunday in Budapest. The Pharaohs' squad, comprising Ziad Elsissy, Mohamed Amer, Adham Moataz, and Mazen El-Araby, clinched the title with a 45-37 win over Hungary. They had an impressive run as they began their campaign with a 45-30 win over Bulgaria in the round of 32 before defeating Romania 45-38 in the last 16. In the quarter-finals, they stunned Olympic gold medalists, South Korea, 45-42 victory, then pulled another remarkable spectacle against France 45-43 in the semi-final. Egypt finished on top of the final ranking with 64 points, while Hungary finished second with 52. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
Al-Ahram Weekly
26-03-2025
- Sport
- Al-Ahram Weekly
Emam Ashour should apologize to rejoin Pharaohs squad: Egypt coach Hossam Hassan - National Teams
Ahly midfielder Emam Ashour was left out of Egypt's latest World Cup qualifiers squad for disciplinary reasons, according to national team coach Hossam Hassan, who said the player must apologize to return. 'Ashour's omission is a disciplinary decision. He pretended to be injured with the national team before, and suddenly he played with Ahly. If he apologizes and admits his mistake, he will rejoin the team again,' Hassan explained. Despite being fully fit, Ashour was surprisingly excluded from the Pharaohs' squad for the two recent qualifiers against Ethiopia and Sierra Leone. All good! Meanwhile, despite the limited preparation time, Hossam Hassan expressed satisfaction with his team's recent results in the African World Cup qualifiers. On Tuesday, the Pharaohs claimed a narrow 1-0 win over Sierra Leone at Cairo International Stadium. That followed a 2-0 away victory over Ethiopia on Friday in the fifth round of qualifiers, moving them five points clear at the top of Group A. 'Ethiopia and Sierra Leone deliver outstanding football, and both teams include professional players. Winning and leading the group is the most important thing in the qualifiers, and I would like to thank the players for what they delivered,' said the former Ahly and Zamalek star. 'Preparing the team for the two games in just two days isn't easy, whether for the players or the technical staff,' he added. Egypt now leads Group A with 16 points from six matches, maintaining a five-point lead over second-placed Burkina Faso. Sierra Leone remained in third place with 8 points. Egypt's next match is a return clash against fourth-placed Ethiopia in September's next round of World Cup qualifiers. (For more sports news and updates, follow Ahram Online Sports on Twitter at @AO_Sports and on Facebook at AhramOnlineSports.) Follow us on: Facebook Instagram Whatsapp Short link:
