Re: The Chimpanzee Genome

At 11:51 AM 3/2/2006, David Opderbeck wrote:

>In "Who Was Adam," published in 2005, Rana includes a chapter called
>"What About Chimpanzees." He concludes:
>
>"Although human and chimpanzee genomes display great similarity,
>that similarity has been magnified to some extent by research
>methodology. Researchers are starting to uncover significant
>differences. Results of large-scale comparisons must be considered
>preliminary, as it's not yet clear what genetic differences mean in
>terms of anatomical and behavioral characteristics. However,
>greater clarity will likely come as research progresses. Already
>the newly recognized genetic differences between humans and
>chimpanzees complicate the picture for biologists who view the high
>degree of genetic similarity between humans and chimpanzees as proof
>of shared ancestry. If 99 percent genetic similarity represents a
>close evolutionary connection, what does the more recently measured
>86.7 percent genetic similarity mean?"

## Hey, thanks for that reference and excerpt! I'm adding it to my
archives for future reference. ~ Janice
Received on Thu Mar 2 12:18:01 2006