Chimp and Human (Dis)similarities

Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 9:00 PM ET

The genetic similarity of humans and chimpanzees has long been championed as evidence for evolution. The newest gene sequences tell us that, indeed, there are long stretches of highly similar DNA between us. On the other hand, there are areas with very poor similarity and some regions that are not even comparable. In the end, the question is not about percent similarity (which will be below 95%). Instead, the question is, “How many mutational changes are necessary to explain these differences in (an assumed) 6.5 million years?” They simply might not have enough time.