98% Similar?

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You have probably heard that chimps, our supposed closest living relatives, share 98% of their DNA with us. But are we really only 2% different from chimps?

Well, the 98% number is based off old data. The data used human DNA as a framework because the researchers assumed common ancestry. It was shown later that much of the data was contaminated with actual human DNA from the researchers. And later research showed our DNA to be only 85% similar.

This similarity in DNA doesn’t suggest a common ancestor. In the same way a computer programmer uses the same basic commands to design many different programs, the Creator used the same basic instructions.

Dig Deeper

• The Untold Story Behind DNA Similarity
• Analysis of 101 Chimpanzee Trace Read Data Sets: Assessment of Their Overall Similarity to Human and Possible Contamination With Human DNA