How would you explain why chimpanzees and humans have so much similar DNA to someone who had never taken this course?

Human and chimp DNA is so similar because the two species are so closely related. Humans, chimps and bonobos descended from a single ancestor species that lived six or seven million years ago. As humans and chimps gradually evolved from a common ancestor, their DNA, passed from generation to generation, changed too.

How different is human DNA from apes?

While the genetic difference between individual humans today is minuscule – about 0.1\%, on average – study of the same aspects of the chimpanzee genome indicates a difference of about 1.2\%. The bonobo (Pan paniscus), which is the close cousin of chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), differs from humans to the same degree.

How much DNA do humans and gorillas share?

We share about 96 percent of our DNA with gorillas, meaning that we’re, in a sense, more than twice as much like a chimpanzee as we are a gorilla. But, again, it’s not so simple when it comes to DNA. We are indeed very closely related to our ape counterparts.

Why is human DNA so similar to Chimp DNA?

Human and chimp DNA is so similar because the two species are so closely related. Humans, chimps and bonobos descended from a single ancestor species that lived six or seven million years ago. As humans and chimps gradually evolved from a common ancestor, their DNA, passed from generation to generation, changed too.

What do humans and chimps have in common?

Human and chimp X chromosomes both contain about 1,100 different genes, or sets of instructions. Each gene affects a particular trait in the body. Most genes in humans and chimps are nearly identical. Both species have the OPN1LW gene, which allows them both to see the color red.

How many base pairs are in a chimpanzee genome?

Humans have forty-six chromosomes, while chimps have forty-eight. According to the latest data, there are 3,096,649,726 base pairs in the human genome and 3,309,577,922 base pairs in the chimpanzee genome. This amounts to a 6.4\% difference.

How are human genes similar to human X chromosomes?

Human and chimp X chromosomes both contain about 1,100 different genes, or sets of instructions. Each gene affects a particular trait in the body. Most genes in humans and chimps are nearly identical. Both species have the OPN1LW gene, which allows them both to see the color red. But mice lack OPN1LW–and have trouble seeing red.