Primate genome hints at what makes us human – 01/06/2023 – Science

The most comprehensive genomic study ever conducted on primates — a group that includes lemurs, monkeys, great apes and humans — has revealed key genetic traits that are unique to humans, while sharpening the timeline for the evolutionary divide of ours. lineage in relation to our closest relatives, the chimpanzees and bonobos.

Researchers said on Thursday they had sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 233 primate species, comprising nearly half of the species alive today, and surprisingly found that most have greater genetic diversity, variation within a species that is vital for adapting to changing environments and other challenges than humans.

“Studying primate genomic diversity is important not only in the face of the current biodiversity crisis, but also has enormous potential to improve our understanding of human disease,” said geneticist Lukas Kuderna of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology at the Biomedical Research Park of Barcelona, ​​Spain, and Illumina, lead author of the research article published in the journal Science.

Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest genetically to humans, sharing approximately 98.8% of our DNA, while lemurs and lorises are the least closely related to humans among primates.

The study adjusted the timeline for the divergence of the evolutionary lineage that led to modern humans and that that led to chimpanzees and bonobos, finding that this milestone occurred between 6.9 million and 9 million years ago, slightly more than the previously estimated.

The human lineage, through a succession of species, later acquired core features such as bipedalism, longer limbs, and a larger brain.

The study explored the origins of primates as a group. The last common ancestor of all extant primates lived between 63.3 million and 58.3 million years ago, during a time of remarkable evolutionary innovation following the asteroid impact 66 million years ago that doomed the dinosaurs and allowed mammals achieved dominance.

Human-related threats such as habitat destruction, climate change and hunting have left around 60% of primate species endangered and around 75% with populations in decline.

Genomic data can help identify primate species most in need of conservation efforts.