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Chimps Belong in Human Genus?

Bradley Chapman writes "I found this interesting story from Discovery News about our ties with chimpanzees. Excerpts: 'Chimpanzees share 99.4 percent of functionally important DNA with humans and belong in our genus, Homo, according to a recent genetic study. Scientists analyzed 97 human genes, along with comparable sequences from chimps, gorillas, orangutans and Old World monkeys (a group that includes baboons and macaques). The researchers then took the DNA data and estimated genetic evolution over time. They determined that humans and chimps shared a common ancestor between 4 and 7 million years ago. That ancestor diverged from gorillas 6 to 7 million years ago.'" Genus is the next step up from species, if you recall your taxonomy. Humans are the only living species in genus homo, currently.

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  1. CmdrTaco explains new moderation option by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    CmdrTaco: It's very special, because, as you can see--the moderations all go to 6. Right across the board. Six.

    Wired: Six. And most moderations go up to 6?

    CmdrTaco: Exactly.

    Wired: Does that mean it's more moderated?

    CmdrTaco: Is it any more moderated? Well, it's one more moderated, isn't it? It's not 5. You see, most blokes are going to be modding at 5. You're on 5 on your comment, where can you go from there? Where?

    Wired: I don't know.

    CmdrTaco: Nowhere! Exactly! What we do, if we need that extra moderation over the cliff, you know what we do? You put it up to 6.

    Wired: Six.

    CmdrTaco: Exactly. One more moderated.

    Wired: Why don't you just make 5 more moderated, and make 5 be the top number, and make that a little more moderated?

    CmdrTaco: These go to six.

    1. Re:CmdrTaco explains new moderation option by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Commander Lock: "Not everyone believes what you believe."

      Morpheus: "My beliefs do not require that they do."

      Characters are always talking like this in "The Matrix Reloaded," which plays like a collaboration involving a geek, a comic book and the smartest kid in Philosophy 101. Morpheus in particular unreels extended speeches that remind me of Laurence Olivier's remarks when he won his honorary Oscar--the speech that had Jon Voight going "God!" on TV, but in print turned out to be quasi-Shakespearean doublespeak. The speeches provide not meaning, but the effect of meaning: It sure sounds like those guys are saying some profound things.

      That will not prevent fanboys from analyzing the philosophy of "The Matrix Reloaded" in endless Web postings. Part of the fun is becoming an expert in the deep meaning of shallow pop mythology; there is something refreshingly ironic about becoming an authority on the transient extrusions of mass culture, and Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne) now joins Obi-Wan Kenobi as the Plato of our age.

      I say this not in disapproval, but in amusement. "The Matrix" (1999), written and directed by the brothers Andy and Larry Wachowski, inspired so much inflamed pseudo-philosophy that it's all "The Matrix Reloaded" can do to stay ahead of its followers. It is an immensely skillful sci-fi adventure, combining the usual elements: heroes and villains, special effects and stunts, chases and explosions, romance and oratory. It develops its world with more detail than the first movie was able to afford, gives us our first glimpse of the underground human city of Zion, burrows closer to the heart of the secret of the Matrix, and promotes its hero, Neo, from confused draftee to a Christ figure in training.

      As we learned in "The Matrix," the Machines need human bodies, millions and millions of them, for their ability to generate electricity. In an astonishing sequence, we saw countless bodies locked in pods around central cores that extended out of sight above and below. The Matrix is the virtual reality that provides the minds of these sleepers with the illusion that they are active and productive. Questions arise, such as, is there no more efficient way to generate power? And why give the humans dreams when they would generate just as much energy if comatose? And why create such a complex virtual world for each and every one of them, when they could all be given the same illusion and be none the wiser? Why is each dreamer himself or herself, occupying the same body in virtual reality as the one asleep in the pod?

      But never mind. We are grateful that 250,000 humans have escaped from the grid of the Matrix, and gathered to build Zion, which is "near the Earth's core--where there is more heat." As the movie opens, we are alarmed to learn that the Machines are drilling toward Zion so quickly that they will arrive in 36 hours. We may also wonder if Zion and its free citizens really exist, or if the humans only think so, but that leads to a logical loop ending in madness.

      Neo (Keanu Reeves) has been required to fly, to master martial arts, and to learn that his faith and belief can make things happen. His fights all take place within virtual reality spaces, while he reclines in a chair and is linked to the cyberworld, but he can really be killed, because if the mind thinks it is dead, "the body is controlled by the mind." All of the fight sequences, therefore, are logically contests not between physical bodies, but between video game-players, and the Neo in the big fight scenes is actually his avatar.

      The visionary Morpheus, inspired by the prophecies of the Oracle, instructed Neo--who gained the confidence to leap great distances, to fly and in "Reloaded" destroys dozens of clones of Agent Smith (Hugo Weaving) in martial combat. That fight scene is made with the wonders of digital effects and the choreography of the Hong Kong action director Yuen Wo Ping, who also did the fights in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." It provides one of the three great set pie

  2. A fine heritage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    THE PINEAPPLE has served as both a food and a symbol throughout the human history of the Americas. Originally unique to the Western Hemisphere, the fruit was a culinary favorite of the fierce Carib Indians who lived on islands in the sea that still bears their name.

    Indian Migration and Commerce
    The presence of pineapples on Caribbean islands was not a natural event, but rather the result of centuries of indian migration and commerce. Accomplished dugout canoe navigators, the maritime tribes explored, raided and traded across a vast expanse of tropical oceans, seas and river systems. The herbaceous plant they called "anana," or "excellent fruit," originally evolved in the inland areas of what is now Brazil and Paraguay and was widely transplanted and cultivated. Highly regarded for its intense sweetness, the "excellent fruit" was a staple of indian feasts and rites related to tribal affirmation. It was also used to produce Indian wine.

    Christopher Columbus
    The first encounter between a European and a pineapple occurred in November, 1493, when Christopher Columbus, on his second voyage to the Caribbean region, lowered anchor in a cove off the lush, volcanic island of Guadaloupe and went ashore to inspect a deserted Carib village. There, amidst parrot-flecked jungle foliage and wooden pillars spiraled with serpent carvings, his crew came upon cook pots filled with human body parts. Nearby were piles of freshly gathered vegetables and fruits, including pineapples. The European sailors ate, enjoyed and recorded the curious new fruit which had an abrasive, segmented exterior like a pine cone and a firm interior pulp like an apple.

    Renaissance Europe
    The Renaissance Europe to which Columbus returned with his discoveries was a civilization largely bereft of common sweets. Sugar refined from cane was a rare commodity imported at great cost from the middle east and orient. Fresh fruit was also a rare item; orchard-grown fruit being available in only limited varieties for brief periods of time.

    Pineapple: Treat of Kings
    In such a gastronomic milieu, reports and later samples
    of the New World's pineapple--whose ripe yellow pulp literally exploded natural sweetness when chewed--made the fruit an item of celebrity and curiosity for royal gourmet and horticulturist alike. Despite dogged efforts by European gardeners, it was nearly two centuries before they were able to perfect a hothouse method for growing a pineapple plant. Thus, into the 1600s, the pineapple remained so uncommon and coveted a commodity that King Charles II of England posed for an official portrait in an act then symbolic of royal privilege -- receiving a pineapple as a gift.

    Pineapples and Colonial America
    Across the ocean, the pineapple took on other symbolic meanings in England's American colonies. The colonies were then a land of small, primitive towns and settlements where homes served as the hubs of most community activity. Visiting was the primary means of entertainment, cultural intercourse and news dissemination. The concept of hospitality--the warmth, charm and style with which guests were taken into the home--was a central element of the society's daily emotional life.

    Creative Food Display in Colonial America
    Creative food display--the main entertainment during a formal home visit--was a means by which a woman declared both her personality and her family's status. Within the bounds of their family's means, hostesses sought to outdo each other in the creation of memorable, fantasy-like dining room scenes.
    At such feasts, tabletops resembled small mountain ranges of tiered, pyramided and pedestaled foodstuffs often drizzled and webbed in sugar, studded with china figurines, festooned with flowers and interwoven with garlands of pine and laurel. Dinners were extravaganzas of visual delights, novel tastes, new discoveries and congenial conversation that went on for hours.

    Rare Pineapple: King of Colonial Fruits
    While fruits in general--fresh, dried, candied and jellied--wer

  3. Lancelot Link by tinrobot · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    So, does this mean they have to pay royalties to the chimp who played Lancelot Link?

  4. The Test by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Setup: You've been recently hired as a general purpose pc flunky at a major multinational multibillion dollar company. An important server suddenly stopped working, bad power supply, and your job is to replace it. The company is losing a million dollars in sales every 5 minutes, the general manager is breathing down the back of your neck, and your cell hasn't stopped vibrating once from all the people trying to find out when the server will be back up for all the commissions they're losing. If it works you'll be a hero, get a corner office with a good view of the parking lot, gorgeous, slinky secretary, lots of hardware, a fat pipe for downloading and playing with all the oss you can use, and a generous expense account. You have a white wire, a blue wire, a black wire and a brown wire. If you connect the correct pair, it'll work. If you connect the wrong pair, two substations upstream on the power grid will trip, plunging the entire region in darkness, chaos, rioting and looting. The Govenor will declare matial law, Bush will brand you a terrorist, and Ashcroft will send you to Gitmo where you will never be heard from again.

    Which wires do you connect?
    White to Blue and Brown to Black, OR White to Black, and Brown to Blue??

  5. trollbait... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Humans are the only living species in genus homo, currently.

    This sentence was the troll equivalent of pouring blood into shark-infested waters. What were you thinking?!!

  6. Re:But by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    That's cowboyneal's office.jpg, not cowboyneal'soffice.jpg, you ass. Can't you do anything right?

  7. Not until... by FrostedWheat · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    They can't be classed as human until one of them has there own talk show!

    Oh, wait... nevermind.

  8. As a chimp... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I am very upset to be classified in the same Genus as fart-knockers like Rob ``CmdrTaco'' Malda and Jeff ``Hemos'' Bates.

  9. Obligatory Buckaro Bonzia quote by geekoid · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!"

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  10. COWBOYNEAL YOU FAT FUCK!! Lolololl!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    no text

  11. Re:Great! by NixterAg · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Ummmm....it's the Republicans who are CUTTING taxes. Not sure what rectal cavern you pulled that comment out of.

  12. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Oh that's right, it's not like Republicans are lowering taxes right now. It's your lovely Democrats that want control over YOUR money.

  13. chimpanzee cock by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    chimpaznee cock

  14. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Ummmm....it's the Republicans who are CUTTING taxes.

    Forgot something? Let me help: it's the Republicans who are CUTTING taxes for the RICH.

  15. Excellent! Chimp Porn! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    You know some of my ex-girlfriends were almost human too and I fscked them.

    I wanna see hot chick on chimp action!

    Sizzling hot jungle lovin'!!!

  16. Re:Great! by hesiod · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    > The repulicans will like this... Another 50 million that pay taxes

    Flamebait, Democrats are more likely to raise/create new taxes. Well, at least according to the ideologies of the parties. In reality, they all raise taxes too much and/or don't lower them enough.

  17. Re:Someone had to say it... by cavemanf16 · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Well I'm so glad that we narrowed it down to oh, say, several million years ago give or take that we "evolved" and became slightly different than a chimpanzee. Shit, even a cow must somehow share a genetic link to us in the way back past, right? You know, just after the Big Bang (well, several billion years after it of course) when all was warm, and life got created in a single instance, spawning a plethora of life-forms.

    So I guess we shouldn't be eating any more monkey brain, those damn African savages! The horror! Won't somebody PLEASE think of the children!!

    Oh, by the way, put down that McDonald's hamburger, you're eating your relatives!!!

    And don't think plants are exempt!! They're just another offshoot of "life", and we certainly wouldn't want to be extinguishing a life-form, now would we?

  18. Re:Great! by Joe+the+Lesser · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    No no, the Republicans will just declare a War on Chimpanzees, which will take billions of dollars to wage.

    --
    "I only speak the truth"
    Karma: null(Mostly affected by an unassigned variable)
  19. Re:Great! by hesiod · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    > I make 50k/year. I'm not rich

    Shit, compared to me and almost every other person that lives in this town, you are. But still, I agree on the point.

  20. Re:Great! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Hey moron, how much of a tax cut did you get? Just enough for you to say "I got a tax cut." Not enough for you to buy a fucking iPod. The bulk of the tax cut goes to the richest.

  21. Re:Great! by FatherOfONe · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I agree with what you said, but the only way to make liberals understand that someone who doesn't pay taxes is not going to get back more money than someone who pays >40,000 in taxes is to propose a flat tax. In my opinion that is the ONLY way that EVERYONE will understand the tax system, AND it would make it VERY difficult for the liberals to try and raise taxes. This would of course have to be passed with a balanced budget amendment to the constitution.

    I don't think that this will happen, but it would be great. I would propose a national sales tax.
    However, you would have to grandfather in a lot of senior citizens, with some type of tax break. That way the "richer" who buy more expensive stuff would in a sense be paying more taxes.

    Ah but if they did that then they couldn't try and force Americans to do what the governemnt wants (i.e. gas taxes and such).

    --
    The more I learn about science, the more my faith in God increases.
  22. Re:Uncalled for comment by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    I thought we had clarified that the entity known as "CowboyNeal" classifies as a monkey, not a human being.

  23. Someone needs to shoot michael in the face by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    A recent study showed that chimpanzees and humans share 95%.

    It also showed that the chimpanzee's closest relative is the friendly neighborhood nigger.

    So - does it mean chimps that act even less humanly than niggers get human rights too?