Some RNAs that don't carry the plans for proteins have important structural or functional roles in their own right. Most of the rest is transcribed into RNA. "It's a little bit like having a Ford or a Holden - it's still obviously a car but a slightly different version."īut while 20,000 similar genes sounds like a lot, only one to two per cent of our DNA actually encodes proteins. If you look at the details of the genes … there'll be differences between them, but they'll still be doing the same kind of function," says Moran. "Mammals have most of the same genes for similar biochemical and physiological functions. So if you compare the protein-encoding portion of our DNA we have a lot in common with a lot of mammals. Scientists have discovered about 20,000 mammalian genes that encode proteins with similar basic functions. Some RNA is translated into chains of amino-acid that make up proteins, the building blocks of every living cell. Information is transferred from the genes via a chemical called ribonucleic acid (RNA). The amount of genetic material we share with other species depends upon what you compare.Īll living organisms have genetic information encoded in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), divided into units called genes. "Making broad comparisons by saying … 98 per cent of genes are similar to a chimpanzee or whatever else … tend to be a little bit misleading," says Moran. But it is simplistic to put an actual figure on the amount of genetic material we have in common, says animal geneticist Professor Chris Moran from the University of Sydney's Faculty of Veterinary Science. The sheer fact that pigs and humans are mammals means that we share some genes. We're omnivorous mammals that gain weight easily and are susceptible to the flu for starters. Like it or not, we've all got a lot in common with pigs.
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