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Author Topic:   The DNA similarity of humans and chimps 96% and 99% history
dwise1
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Message 11 of 13 (892140)
02-26-2022 9:23 PM
Reply to: Message 10 by Tanypteryx
02-26-2022 3:41 PM


Re: Human , Neandertal, and chimp dna
As I read PaulK having pointed out in Message 3 (13-Sep-2016 11:30 AM), the numbers you get depend on what you are comparing.
For example, only a relatively small portion of the genome encodes for proteins while the non-coding portion is rather larger (our genetics lecture series at OLLI with Eric Lander where that was covered was 3 or 4 years ago). That non-coding portion contains many copies of other sequences elsewhere in the genome (basically junk) along with regulatory sequences and more. Because of the need to retain functional proteins, the coding portion will experience a lot of selective pressure to not change and so will change very little while the non-coding has little such need and so will change more.
As a result, comparisons with the coding portion will show far greater similarity than comparisons that include the non-coding portion. In addition, the genomes are of different sizes due to insertions and deletions. As a result, the research must work to align sequences, so the manner and extent of those alignments can also have an effect on the final numbers.
 
I'll refer you to Erika, AKA "Gutsick Gibbon". She was raised a young-earth creationist but after discovering science she's now a PhD candidate in the pertinent sciences (I just heard what it is but forget, some kind of anthropology which includes primatology, hominin paleontology, genetics, etc). She's done many videos over the past couple years in which she addresses creationist videos and books, etc, all with the academic's drive and skills in thoroughly researching scientific sources (that's what she's been doing all the time as a graduate student). She can get so deeply into the topic she's discussing that her videos easily go for over an hour with several ending up two to three hours long.
She just started a new series in which she teams up with Doctor Dan and The Dapper Dinosaur to review a "hot" new anti-evolution video, Dismantled (ie, they're "dismantling" the Theory of Evolution), which is only available for sale or for rent.
Their first installment deals with the first of six "points" in Dismantled, which is on human-chimp comparisons and in which they "dismantle" the 96-99% similarity numbers though their own "research" which has several problems including using a buggy version of BLAST and violating basic high school algebra when doing the math. Along the way, the three hosts discuss the issues of genome comparisons more thoroughly than most of us would want.
Here it is:
Since I cannot get that to play in Preview mode, if you cannot play it then here is the URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m9Dc4k9qYU
And, no, it's not just cartoon versions of them sitting around talking. They do show the part of Dismantled that they are discussing. And I think they do get a bit into Neanderthal, but I don't quite remember.
 
Share and enjoy!
 
 
ABE:
Another pertinent video of Erika's addresses the "we are 50% similar to a banana" claim, but then discusses the issues of genome comparison.
Alternative link should that also fail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Y7w8FgOAn8
Edited by dwise1, : ABE

This message is a reply to:
 Message 10 by Tanypteryx, posted 02-26-2022 3:41 PM Tanypteryx has not replied

  
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