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08-07-2015, 06:58 PM
Humans LOST DNA as they evolved: Early species had the equivalent of thousands more genes than we do now
Geneticists analysed the DNA of 125 human populations around the world
They then estimated how much DNA has been lost since we split from apes
They calculated humans have lost 40.7 million base pairs as we evolved
The study also found large segments of DNA from an extinct early human species called Denisovans in the genomes of people from south Pacific
By RICHARD GRAY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 06:40 EST, 7 August 2015 | UPDATED: 10:22 EST, 7 August 2015
Humankind likes to believe it sits at the top of the evolutionary tree because of its complexity, but our success may be down to us actually losing some of our DNA.
Geneticists have discovered that modern humans actually possess far less genetic information in our cells than their ancestral cousins.
They estimate since early humans split from the common ancestor we shared with our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, we have lost 40.7 million base pairs.
Scientists have created the most detailed map of human genetic diversity by sampling DNA from 125 populations round the world, shown on the map above. They found indigenous people from the South Pacific had a high levels of a section of DNA from an extinct human species, the Deniosvans, shown by the pies above
See the map:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3187857/Humans-LOST-DNA-evolved-Early-species-equivalent-thousands-genes-now.html#ixzz3i9njA3ZM
HUMAN HAVE 'PRIMATIVE' HANDS
Humans like to think of themselves as the peak of the evolutionary tree, honed by millions of years of evolution that sets us apart from our closest animal cousins.
But research suggests one part of our body – our hands – are actually more primitive than those of chimpanzees.
Analysis of the anatomy of the hands of living and extinct apes has revealed that human hands have actually evolved little since we shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees.
Chimps by contrast have developed elongated fingers to help make them better suited to life in the trees.
Human hands have retained their relatively long thumbs in relation to their index fingers, making them much more similar to the appendages of gorillas.
The dexterity of the human hand has long been believed to be what sets us apart from our animal cousins and lies behind our success as a species.
It was also long thought that our use of tools was partly responsible for our unique hands.
The new findings, however, suggest the proportions of the human hand appears to have been in place long before we separated from chimpanzees and bonobos, from the genus Pan, around five million years ago.
Geneticists analysed the DNA of 125 human populations around the world
They then estimated how much DNA has been lost since we split from apes
They calculated humans have lost 40.7 million base pairs as we evolved
The study also found large segments of DNA from an extinct early human species called Denisovans in the genomes of people from south Pacific
By RICHARD GRAY FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 06:40 EST, 7 August 2015 | UPDATED: 10:22 EST, 7 August 2015
Humankind likes to believe it sits at the top of the evolutionary tree because of its complexity, but our success may be down to us actually losing some of our DNA.
Geneticists have discovered that modern humans actually possess far less genetic information in our cells than their ancestral cousins.
They estimate since early humans split from the common ancestor we shared with our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, we have lost 40.7 million base pairs.
Scientists have created the most detailed map of human genetic diversity by sampling DNA from 125 populations round the world, shown on the map above. They found indigenous people from the South Pacific had a high levels of a section of DNA from an extinct human species, the Deniosvans, shown by the pies above
See the map:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3187857/Humans-LOST-DNA-evolved-Early-species-equivalent-thousands-genes-now.html#ixzz3i9njA3ZM
HUMAN HAVE 'PRIMATIVE' HANDS
Humans like to think of themselves as the peak of the evolutionary tree, honed by millions of years of evolution that sets us apart from our closest animal cousins.
But research suggests one part of our body – our hands – are actually more primitive than those of chimpanzees.
Analysis of the anatomy of the hands of living and extinct apes has revealed that human hands have actually evolved little since we shared a common ancestor with chimpanzees.
Chimps by contrast have developed elongated fingers to help make them better suited to life in the trees.
Human hands have retained their relatively long thumbs in relation to their index fingers, making them much more similar to the appendages of gorillas.
The dexterity of the human hand has long been believed to be what sets us apart from our animal cousins and lies behind our success as a species.
It was also long thought that our use of tools was partly responsible for our unique hands.
The new findings, however, suggest the proportions of the human hand appears to have been in place long before we separated from chimpanzees and bonobos, from the genus Pan, around five million years ago.