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Commonality with other organisms
Although we each have our own individual genetic code, we share a portion of this code with other species.
Some 23 000 Genes and a Conscience
Are you human, or are you a mouse? Discover which part you have in common with this cute little rodent ... and with everything else that lives.
You are human; however, in your genome
you do have traces of ancient genes
stemming from the beginning of time that you share with every living
organism. So, if you have so much in common with other species,
what is it that defines you as being human? What is it that turns
you into this complex being capable of learning, speaking, thinking
and feeling? What is it that makes you different from other human
beings?
Ten Million Cousins
What do you have in common with a mouse or a worm? More than you
think! Despite appearances, you share a surprising number of genes
with other species. Although these genes don't all have the same
letters in the same order, their function is similar enough for
them to be considered comparable. These genes likely stem from a
common ancestor, one that lived 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists
theorize that through evolution this ancestor's genome became the
basis for every species that you know today.
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% Common with Humans |
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Chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes
30 000 genes
Chimpanzees have about the same number of genes as humans. But then why can't they speak? The difference could be in a single gene, FOXP2, which in the chimpanzee is missing certain sections. |
98% |
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Mouse, Mus musculus
30 000 genes
Thanks to mice, researchers have been able to identify
genes linked to skeletal development, obesity and Parkinson's
disease, to name but a few. |
90% |
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Zebra Fish, Danio rerio
30 000 genes
85% of the genes in these little fish, are the same
as yours. Researchers use them to study the role of
genes linked to blood disease, such as anemia falciforme
and heart disease.
(Image: Inga Spence, Visuals Unlimited, Inc.) |
85% |
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Fruit Fly, Drosophila melanogaster
13 600 genes
For the past 100 years, the fruit fly has been used
to study the transmission of hereditary characteristics,
the development of organisms, and, more recently, the
study of changes in behaviour induced by the consumption
of alcohol.
(Image: David M.Phillips, Visuals Unlimited, Inc.) |
36% |
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Thale cress, Arabidopsis thaliana
25 000 genes
This little plant, from the mustard family, is used
as a model for the study of all flowering plants. Scientists
use its genes to study hepatolenticular degeneration,
a disease that causes copper to accumulate in the human
liver.
(Image: Wally Eberhart, Visuals Unlimited, Inc.) |
26% |
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Yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae
6275 genes
You have certain genes in common with this organism
that is used to make bread, beer and wine. Scientists
use yeast to study the metabolism of sugars, the cell
division process, and diseases such as cancer.
(Image: Kessel & Shih, Visuals Unlimited, Inc.)
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23% |
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Roundworm, Caenorhabditis elegans
19 000 genes
Just like you, this worm possesses muscles, a nervous
system, intestines and sexual organs. That is why the
roundworm is used to study genes linked to aging, to
neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, to cancer
and to kidney disease. |
21% |
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Bacterium, Escherichia coli
4800 genes
The E. coli bacterium inhabits your intestines.
Researchers study it to learn about basic cell functions,
such as transcription and translation.
(Image: Fred Hossler, Visuals Unlimited, Inc.) |
7% |
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