Alcheringa Tells the story of Human DNA

Alcheringa Tells the story of Human DNA

Alcheringa is now asking me to look at the various life forms on Earth and see how similar we are in regard to DNA.

Which species has the most similar DNA to humans? Chimpanzees. Although figures vary from study to study, it’s currently generally accepted that chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and their close relatives the bonobos (Pan paniscus) are humans’ closest living relatives, with each species sharing around 98.7% of our DNA.

How similar in DNA are we to each other? All human beings are 99.9 percent identical in their genetic make-up. Differences in the remaining 0.1 percent hold important clues about the causes of diseases.

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