Scientific DataSwinging chimpanzee

Human - chimpanzee genetic comparison

  • ~95-99% Genetic Similarity

    • Base substitutions – 1.4% 

    • Insertions/Deletions – 3.4%

  • Common Descent (?)

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Slide 70 of 109


Scientific data shows that humans share a high degree of genetic similarity to the apes, especially chimpanzees. Before 2002, it was commonly claimed that humans differed genetically from chimpanzees by 1-2%. However, following the completion of the human genome project's complete genetic sequence, and the beginning of the chimpanzee genome sequence, we now have a much better estimate of the genetic difference. Gene sequence differences are very close to what had been previously estimated at 1.4%. However, there are quite a few insertions and deletions found in comparing the two sequences. These differences equal 3.4%. Therefore, the total genetic difference between chimpanzees and humans is now seen as being 4.8%1 - much larger than previously thought. Such a large genetic difference now brings into question the paradigm of common descent.


References Top of page

  1. Britten, R.J. 2002. Divergence between samples of chimpanzee and human DNA sequences is 5%, counting indels. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 99: 13633-16335.


Last Modified June 21, 2006