Chimps should be part of human genus, scientists say

MSNBC ^ | May 19

[Between the Lines]

Chimpanzees are more closely related to people than to gorillas or other monkeys and probably should be included in the human branch of the family tree, a research team says. The idea, sure to spark renewed debate about evolution and the relationship between humans and animals, comes from a team led by Morris Goodman at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit.

CURRENTLY, HUMANS are alone in the genus Homo. But Goodman argues, “We humans appear as only slightly remodeled chimpanzee-like apes.” He says humans and chimps share 99.4 percent of their DNA, the molecule that codes for life.

[dark_lord]

And for those who have forgotton the old mnemonic:

King Philip Came Over From Germany Stoned.

Kingdom
Phylum
Class
Order
Family
Genus
Species.

[SarahW]

In all my years of schoolin', I was never privileged to hear of that particular mnemonic device.

It's now part of my son's curriculum. :)

[headsonpikes]

Chimpanzee-Americans will be demanding free bananas!

Stop monkey socialism NOW!

[Mr. Bird]

Believe it or not, I used: Kids pee chocolate oreos for good spiders. They say the more absure the mnemonic, the easier to remember. Needless to say, mine is etched in my brain forever.

[Blueflag]

Yeah, well, that .6% is really critical. Compare us to mice in the genome, and it's a little scary how close we are.

The point should be made that all vertebrate mammalian life forms are amazingly close (in my opinion) in the genome. The fact that only a small % makes the critical differences is revealing. Think of how diverse human-kind is, and we share a 'uniform' genetic sequences. And then add gender.

This always kicks off anagnostic-science versus a believing-science debate, BUT, the more I understand and work with/in the Life Sciences, the more I am amazed at and the increasingly reveled role of the Divine Designer.

[vollmond]

Puts a new spin on the monkey/typewriter/Shakespeare deal. Now that I think about it, humans have only turned up one speciman that could pound out the works of Shakespeare (well, two if you count Jayson Blair, and three if you count Joe Biden). Maybe we're too demanding of monkeys on typewriters.

[Blueflag]

anagostic = agnostic

geesh

[Blueflag]

Somebody got a grant to actually try the monkey-typewriter gig. The 'near-humans' urinated and defecated on the PCs more than they typed on them. And when they did type, they produced nonsense and thousands of repeated characters.

[FrogMom]

I thought Bonobos were even closer.

BTW, Chimps are not monkeys.

[Judith Anne]

I don't agree with this conclusion. PETA will doubtless use it for chimp education money, chimp housing money, chimp health money, chimp property money, chimp legal money, chimp reproductive rights money, chimp dental care plan money (have you ever seen their teeth? Sheesh!) etc.

[DoctorMichael]

.....should be included in the human branch of the family tree.....

I am really wary of this!

I wonder what then is to become of the Australopithicenes? They are much closer to us than chimps, being our progenitors. Why are they grouped in a different genus?

I feel this is nothing more than latter-day-PC anthropomorphism.

[Blueflag]

I wonder if PETA has looked at the genome of Drosophila m. and compared it to their own? ;-)

[eastsider]

Chimpanzees are more closely related to people than to gorillas or other monkeys ...

Gorillas, chimps and men are apes, not monkeys.

[KarlInOhio]

The article included both common chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and bonobos (Pan paniscus).

[KarlInOhio]

Chimpanzee-Americans will be demanding free bananas!

Forget about welfare rights. They demand their second ammendment rights:

[ASA Vet]

That chimps right thumb isn't going to feel real good if the pistol is fired.

[LiteKeeper]

YEC doubts

[theFIRMbss]

[theFIRMbss]

>That chimps right thumb isn't going to feel real good if the pistol is fired.

If the slide kicks back
far enough, the monkey's nose
won't feel good, either!