Homo Chimpus

Makes good sense. If one species shares 98% of its DNA with another species, they should at least be classified in the same genus as the other species.

Unless, of course, that missing 2% makes a huge difference.

Actually, the more I think about this the more I wonder how much our DNA has in common with all living things on the planet. If the similiarity (is that even a word?) is high - well, what does that mean for the classification of the species? Is this something that science is rethinking in light of new DNA research, or has the status quo been confirmed?

Obviously, I’m not a science guy, so maybe someone who knows might like to comment.

This page offers some insight:

The consortium found that the chimp and human genomes are very similar and encode very similar proteins. The DNA sequence that can be directly compared between the two genomes is almost 99 percent identical. When DNA insertions and deletions are taken into account, humans and chimps still share 96 percent of their sequence. At the protein level, 29 percent of genes code for the same amino sequences in chimps and humans. In fact, the typical human protein has accumulated just one unique change since chimps and humans diverged from a common ancestor about 6 million years ago.

To put this into perspective, the number of genetic differences between humans and chimps is approximately 60 times less than that seen between human and mouse and about 10 times less than between the mouse and rat. On the other hand, the number of genetic differences between a human and a chimp is about 10 times more than between any two humans.

Though I admit I don’t really understand that last bit..

Thanks, Chris. I have trouble grasping this sort of thing, it’s a constant struggle for moi. The article seems to be saying (as near as I can tell) that we’re closer to apes than mice are to rats, at least in terms of DNA. I’m wondering, though, how much DNA we share in common with all living things - the article implies that we at least share some with rats and mice as well as apes. I guesss I’m also wondering what the very existence of a similar structure - that is DNA itself - in all living things means. What does the existence of DNA - both vital and common to all living things - tell us about life on earth? My suspicion is that all life is connected in ways we’re only just beginning to think might be possible.

I’m not sure there are answers to this sort of thing. Plus when it comes to any kind of science beyond baking soda volcanoes, I’m in over my head. (But hey, at least I know it - gimme a break!)