Chimpanzee Genome Sequenced

dharash writes "Nature reports 'Researchers today released a draft version of the genetic sequence of our closest relative, the chimpanzee Pan troglodytes..The differences between the chimp's genetic code and ours should reveal what makes us human...' Click here for the entire article."

Comments

Re:I already figured it out!!

[Cujo]

Here's a hint! We're not monkeys!

Neither are chimps.

We already know that we're closely related to chimps in the gross sense - now we can get a much more precise idea of where, when and how we diverged. Pretty exciting stuff, but they should keep digging for bones - there's nothing like ground truth.

Closest relative?

[booch]

I thought it was well-established that bonobos are the species most closely related to humans.

Re:Closest relative?

[booch]

According to the link I provided, no -- bonobos are not chimps. They are commonly called pygmy chimps, but it says that is an incorrect label.

Re:Closest relative?

[SEE]

Bonobos and the common chimp, as best we can tell, are both humanity's closest relative, having diverged from each other after their common ancestors and those of humans had diverged. That is, there is a common bonobo-chimp ancestor, and a common bonobo-chimp-human ancestor, but no common bonobo-human or chimp-human ancestor that is not also an ancestor of the third.

Similarly, humans, common chimpanzees, and bonobo chimpanzees are all more closely related to each other than any is to the gorilla. Humans, common chimpanzees, bonobo chimpanzees, and gorillas are all more closely related to each other than any of the four is to the orangutan. And the five great apes (including man) are more closely related to each other than any is to the "lesser" apes.