So, if we are so similar genetically, how can we be so different in our appearance and behavior? How similar are we really?
According to IFL Science, humans and chimpanzees are thought to have split from a common ancestor around six million years ago - which is fairly recent in evolutionary terms.
In the mid-1990s, scientists managed to sequence the genome of a chimpanzee called Clint, revealing that, in absolute terms, the species' genetic code is 96% identical to ours.
Benjamin Taub
However, much of this difference is explained by duplication, where sections of the genome are simply repeated in one species, but not in the other.
However, in terms of genes themselves, we are 98.8% the same, which means that only 1.2% of our genetic code is not found in chimpanzees.
It doesn't sound like much, but if we take into account that the human genome is made up of around three billion base pairs - or pieces of genetic information - this small percentage adds up to around 35 million discrepancies between the two species.
Many of the differences between the human and chimpanzee genomes can be found in regions responsible for transcription factors, which act as genetic switches that tell the different genes when to be activated and when to remain dormant.
In other words, much of our human character has nothing to do with genes specific to our species, but is attributable to the genes that code for the creation of the different neurons.
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In this way, genomes that look almost identical can produce very different phenotypic characteristics. The genes may be the same, but subtle differences in the parts of the genome that control gene expression can totally transform the final product.
Scientists are still analyzing the data to try to understand exactly how the 1.2% of our genome that is uniquely human works. So far, they have managed to identify certain sections that appear to encode specific characteristics.
For example, a gene called ASPM is probably related to neurogenesis and brain size in humans, while another called FOXP2 may be associated with the development of speech.
Another, called KRTHAP1, influences the pattern of keratin expression in the human hair follicle and may therefore be responsible for the differences between our hair and that of our more hirsute simian relatives.
Many of the genes we don't share with chimpanzees are related to immune function and result in significant differences in susceptibility to disease.
For example, chimpanzees are resistant to malaria and certain influenza viruses that we - humans - have difficulty dealing with, although we are better at dealing with tuberculosis.
All in all, the small differences between the human and chimpanzee genomes are a perfect demonstration of the economy of DNA: instead of needing a complete overhaul of the code to create a new species, all it takes is a few minor adjustments to turn a chimp into a person.
