• Question: What are the closest things to humans, looking at their DNA?

    Asked by to Lilly, Nick, Francesca, Alan on 20 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Francesca Day

      Francesca Day answered on 20 Mar 2014:

      Chimpanzees 🙂

    • Photo: Alan Fitzsimmons

      Alan Fitzsimmons answered on 20 Mar 2014:

      Chimpanzees. In fact our DNA is different form a chimps DNA by only 1.2 %! That shows you only need small change in the DNA to get a completely different species of animal.

    • Photo: Nick Wright

      Nick Wright answered on 20 Mar 2014:

      Good question, because DNA is a very useful way to understand our ancestry, as DNA changes only very slightly as things evolve. The animals with the most similar DNA to us are those that are closest to us in the evolutionary tree of life! Chimpanzees are the closest to us in terms of DNA, and while they may look different (they’re shorter, hairier and eat more bananas than most of us do), they’re very similar in important ways: they know how to use tools, they have similar hands, fingers and feet, and they live in groups with emotional relationships between members. Does any of that sound familiar?

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