• Question: Do animals have the same DNA that we have?

    Asked by anon-307289 to Laura on 21 Jan 2022.
    • Photo: Laura Durrant

      Laura Durrant answered on 21 Jan 2022:

      Yes they do! Chimpanzees are our closest genetic relatives. 98.8% of our DNA is the same! But the reason why we look different is because of the way these genes are switched on and off. So even though we have a lot of the same genes as chimpanzees, the ones that make us human are switched on, but switched off in the chimpanzee. In the same way, the genes that make chimpanzees are switched on in chimpanzees, but switched off in humans. Almost like a genetic light switch!

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