Gorilla genome maybe key to human one
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 8, 2012
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Researchers in Cambridge have deciphered the genetic code of the gorilla - the last of the Great Ape genera to be sequenced, the BBC reported.
Initial comparison confirms that chimpanzees are our closest relatives, sharing 99% of our DNA. Gorillas come in a close second with 98%, with orangutans coming in third place with a 97% share.
Although on average we are closest to chimps, many of our individual genes are more like those of gorillas. Among them is a gene that enables us and gorillas to hear better than any other apes. Writing in the journal Nature, the team hopes to uncover genetic mutations that have led to language, culture and science.
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