Received: by alpheratz.cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk id TAA27693 (8.6.9/5.3[ref pg@gmsl.co.uk] for cpm.aca.mmu.ac.uk from fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk); Mon, 29 May 2000 19:40:14 +0100 Message-ID: <B0003551583@htcompmail.htcomp.net> X-Sender: mmills@pop3.htcomp.net X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Pro Version 4.0 Date: Mon, 29 May 2000 13:48:31 -0500 To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk From: "Mark M. Mills" <mmills@htcomp.net> Subject: RE: Jabbering ! In-Reply-To: <4.3.0.20000529181417.00aa3800@193.126.30.17> References: <00052912372800.00664@faichney> <2D1C159B783DD211808A006008062D310174587E@inchna.stir.ac.uk> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: fmb-majordomo@mmu.ac.uk Precedence: bulk Reply-To: memetics@mmu.ac.uk
At 06:19 PM 5/29/00 +0100, you wrote:
>
>> >As a friend of mine once said of all those people who go on about us
sharing
>> >98% of our genes with apes said, it's the 2% difference that matters.
I'll contribute my own understanding about this often repeated story. I am
very interested in any corrections anyone might offer.
As best I can tell, once we 'decode' the genome, we will have a list of
molecules which a subject species can produce. The genome project has no
illusions about 'genes' to produce fingers, head, legs, hair, etc, all the
genome project promises is a list of molecules available to the species.
Thus, when someone says the human genome is 98% the same as the chimp
genome, they are really saying that 98% of the organic molecules available
to humans are also available to chimps. 50% of the molecules available to
humans are available to yeast, etc. As I understand it, there are between
40,000 and 200,000 molecules available to the human species. If 98% of
these molecules are shared by chimps and humans, then between 800 and 3,200
molecules are available only to humans.
Mark
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