Video Transcript
Primates, for instance,
chimpanzees, are our closest living relatives. Scientists can sequence the genomes
of primates using techniques developed by the Human Genome Project. Why might scientists want to
sequence the genomes of chimpanzees? (A) To genetically modify their
genomes and make them better adapted to their environments. (B) To clone large populations for
medical research. (C) To discover more about their
evolution and determine how closely related we are.
This question asks us about the
purpose of sequencing the genomes of primates, such as chimpanzees. In order to answer this question,
let’s review what a genome is and the Human Genome Project.
All of our genetic information is
contained within the nucleus of our cells as DNA. We have a lot of DNA in a single
cell. In fact, if you were to take all of
the DNA from a single cell and unravel it, it would be about two meters in
length. All this DNA represents our genome,
which is all the genetic information of an organism.
Our DNA is made up of repeating
subunits called nucleotides. These nucleotides have different
bases that are a part of them. These bases can be guanine, or G
for short, cytosine, adenine, and thymine. Our DNA, from beginning to end, is
a sequence of these nucleotides. We can see a tiny part of that
here.
The Human Genome Project was a
project to find the sequence of our entire genome and the genes within it. It was completed in the early
2000s, and it allowed scientists to study the human genome as a whole. The human genome consists of around
three billion base pairs and more than 20,000 genes. Several fields of science, from
evolutionary science to medical research, have benefitted from the knowledge gained
from the Human Genome Project.
Primates, such as chimpanzees, are
thought to be the closest living relative to humans. Therefore, we would expect that
primates and humans might share a lot of genetic similarities. Since we already know the sequence
of the human genome, sequencing the DNA of living primates would help scientists to
determine evolutionary relationships. To put it simply, if scientists
know the genome sequence of humans and primates, they can figure out how closely
related we are and what common ancestors we might share.
Therefore, the option that best
describes why scientists might want to sequence the genome of chimpanzees is given
by answer choice (C), to discover more about their evolution and determine how
closely related we are.
