Are you worm or woman? New Scientist, 15 May 1999, p26 reports that molecular biologists have recently increased the percentage similarity between chimpanzee and human genes from 97% to 98.5%. According to New Scientist: “The immediate question raised by the finding was what was the significance of that 1.5 per cent? Did it mean that chimps were nearly human? Not really. Nearly 75 percent of human genes have some counterpart in nematodes – millimetre-long soil-dwelling worms – but that doesn’t mean that a worm is three quarter of the way to being a person.”
Editorial Comment: What is the significance? Though 75% of human genes can be found in some worms, even the most hard-nosed evolutionist would not consider worms were three-quarters human. Therefore, having 98.5% human genes still makes a chimp a chump!
Were you helped by this item? If so, consider making a donation so we can keep adding more items. For USA tax deductible donations click here. For UK tax deductible donations click here. For Australia and rest of world click here.