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Chimps Belong in Human Genus?

Posted by michael on from the party-crashing dept.

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.

4 of 860 comments (clear)

  1. What does 99.4% mean? by solarrhino · · Score: 0, Troll
    Look around at all the variation on the surface of the earth. The highest point, Everest, is 8846 meters above sea level. The lowest point, the Dead Sea, if -400 meters. But since the mean radius of the earth is about 6.3 million meters, all that variation represents little more then 0.1% difference.

    A "little" difference can matter a great deal.

    --
    "Lord, grant that I may always be right, for Thou knowest that I am hard to turn" -- A Scots-Irish prayer
  2. Ballmer? by dominator · · Score: 0, Troll

    Which one is Steve Ballmer again?

  3. Re:It's about time... by Suidae · · Score: 1, Troll

    they're still swinging in trees. Humans are reaching for the starts

    Well, a very few humans are reaching for the stars. Most of humanity spends its time trying not to starve, while the rest of us do our best to ignore those who are starving. Not that thats bad, I'm just saying that generalizing humanity into some great thing is kind of silly. If you were a chimp you'd probably think those hairless freaks were stupid to live inside and eat processed food, missing out on Real Life.

  4. Troglodytes! by vsprintf · · Score: 0, Troll

    total chimp reads (Pan troglodytes): over 12 million

    Holy crap, that proves we're related -- so that's where the troll gene comes from!