For the first time, a group of scientists has sequenced the genome of gorillas, the missing link between monkeys, chimpanzees and humans, discovering that their "relationship" with humans is very close. The results of the study, conducted by the British Wellcome Trust Sanger and published in Nature, complete the DNA sequencing of all great primates: besides the gorilla, we know that of the chimpanzee, the orangutan and, of course, that of man.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
For the first time, a group of scientists sequenced the genome of gorillas, the missing link between monkeys, chimpanzees and man, discovering that his "relationship" with humans is really close. The results of the study, conducted by the British Wellcome Trust Sanger and published in Nature, complete the DNA sequencing of all great primates: besides the gorilla, we know that of the chimpanzee, the orangutan and, of course, that of man.
“The gorilla genome - explained Aylwyn Scally, first author of the study - is important because it highlights the moment in which our ancestors diverged from our closest evolutionary cousins. It also allows us to explore the similarities and differences between our genes and those of the gorilla, the largest living primate. " So, using DNA from Kamilah, a female western gorilla, the scientists assembled a gorilla's genome sequence and compared it with the genomes of other great apes, and found that 1/3 of our DNA resembles that of a gorilla more than that of a chimpanzee.
The study does not, however, question the overall structure of evolution, with the first separation of species occurring between orangutans and the chimp-human-gorilla line, only to be followed by the distinction between gorilla and chimp-human, but reveals how the gorilla genome is more similar to that of humans than this is with the chimpanzee. "Our results reveal significant differences not only between species reflecting millions of years of evolutionary divergence, but also similarities in parallel changes over time from their common ancestor," said Chris Tyler-Smith, another author of the study.
“We have discovered - continues Tyler-Smith - that gorillas share many genetic changes with humans including the evolution of our hearing. Scientists had suggested that the rapid evolution of human hearing genes was linked to the evolution of language. Our results cast doubt on this, showing how hearing genes evolved in gorillas in a similar way to that in humans. "
But genome sequencing could also be useful for a other purpose: save the four gorilla subspecies currently threatened with extinction in Africa because, when the number of individuals of a species decreases, its genetic diversity and the ability to react to difficulties are also affected. According to a WWF study, the gorilla could become extinct from Central Africa by 2025, due to hunting, the trade in its meat, the growing demand for timber and other metals required for the production of new technologies that increasingly limit its habitat. .
Roberta Ragni
