Researchers mentioned on Thursday they sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 233 primate species, comprising almost half of these alive right now. Image for Representation.
| Photo Credit: AP
The most complete genomic study ever on primates – a bunch whose membership consists of lemurs, monkeys, apes and other people – has revealed pivotal genetic traits which might be uniquely human whereas refining the timeline for our evolutionary lineage’s cut up from our closest cousins, the chimpanzees and bonobos.
Researchers mentioned on Thursday they sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 233 primate species, comprising almost half of these alive right now, and surprisingly found that almost all boast larger genetic range – variation inside a species that’s important for adaptation to altering environments and different challenges – than people.
While some genetic variations beforehand considered unique to individuals had been present in different primate species, the researchers pinpointed others that had been uniquely human involving mind operate and improvement. They additionally used the primate genomes to coach a man-made intelligence algorithm to foretell disease-causing genetic mutations in people.
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“Studying primate genomic diversity is not only important in the face of the ongoing biodiversity crisis, but also has huge potential to improve our understanding of human diseases,” mentioned genomicist Lukas Kuderna of the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park’s Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Spain and Illumina Inc, lead creator of the foremost paper on the analysis printed within the journal Science.
There are greater than 500 species of primates, together with lemurs, lorises, tarsiers, Old and New World monkeys, the “small apes” – gibbons and siamangs – and the “great apes” – orangutans, gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. Lemurs and lorises are the least associated to people amongst primates.
“Primates are a diverse order of mammals to which we humans belong, which are characterized by traits such as large brains, high dexterity – with most species having opposable thumbs – and good vision. They inhabit the Americas, Africa including Madagascar, and Asia,” Kuderna mentioned.
Chimpanzees and bonobos are the closest genetically to people, sharing roughly 98.8% of our DNA.
The study adjusted the timeline for the divergence of the evolutionary lineage that led to individuals and the one which led to chimpanzees and bonobos, discovering this milestone occurred 6.9 million to 9 million years in the past, barely longer in the past than beforehand estimated.
The human lineage, via a succession of species, subsequently acquired key traits akin to bipedalism, longer limbs and a bigger mind. Our species Homo sapiens arose roughly 300,000 years in the past in Africa earlier than spreading worldwide.
The study explored the origins of primates as a bunch. The final widespread ancestor of all extant primates lived between 63.3 million and 58.3 million years in the past throughout a time of outstanding evolutionary innovation within the aftermath of the asteroid strike 66 million years in the past that doomed the dinosaurs and allowed mammals to attain dominance.
Human-related threats akin to habitat destruction, local weather change and searching have left about 60% of primate species threatened with extinction and about 75% with declining populations.
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“The vast majority of primate species have significantly more genetic variation per individual than do humans,” mentioned genomicist and study co-author Jeffrey Rogers of the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. “This shows that there were likely multiple significant population bottlenecks that have altered the amount and nature of genetic variation in ancient human populations.”
The genome knowledge might help establish the primate species in essentially the most dire want of conservation efforts.
The study lined some of essentially the most endangered primates. These included the Western black crested gibbon, with an estimated 1,500 left within the wild scattered in China, Laos and Vietnam, and the northern sportive lemur, with roughly 40 remaining within the wild in a small space of northern Madagascar.
“Interestingly, we find genetic diversity to be a poor predictor of extinction risk overall,” Kuderna mentioned. “This could be because primate populations of different species have declined so quickly that their genetics has not yet had time to catch up and reflect that loss of population size.”
