Chimpanzees and people possess almost identical sets of genes, so the genes that have changed down the human lineage should hold the key to what makes people human. (NYT, 09.01.05)

Scientists have released their study of the chimpanzee genome. Clint, the chimpanzee pictured at the left, donated the DNA. Though Clint recently passed away, his contribution lives on. The similarity of the chmp and human genomes is remarkable--only slightly more that 1% difference. Of 3 billion base-pair sites, only 35 million positions posses different letters or nucleotides. We find letters added or deleted at about 5 million locations. From the study interesting hypotheses arise about why the Y-chromosome seems to be fading. You can learn more at the following sites.

New York Times | In Chimpanzee DNA, Signs of Y Chromosome's Evolution
The Loom | Clint is Dead, Long Live Clint
Nature | The Chimpanzee Genome

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