Men more different from chimps than women, say boffins

[bemildred]

:popcorn::popcorn:

In genetic terms, as everyone but religious extremists acknowledges, human beings are in general very similar indeed to chimpanzees. However, scientists have now discovered that the Y chromosomes - found only in the males - of the two species are extremely dissimilar.

The new study is reported this week in hefty boffinry mag Nature, covering a study by David Page of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research in Cambridge, America, and his colleagues.

According to the boffins' analysis, most parts of the human and chimp (Pan troglodytes) genome are very similar, differing by "less than one per cent" in gene number. But the human male's Y chromosome is hugely more complex than that of our remote arboreal cousins.

The chimp Y chromosome has only two-thirds as many distinct genes or gene families as the human Y chromosome and only 47% as many protein-coding elements.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/14/chimp_genome_y_chromosome_gumble/

[mike_c]

1. "...reported this week in hefty boffinry mag Nature...."

The quality of science reporting just keeps improving by leaps and bounds. Not.

[phantom power]

2. Those are the genes for watching The Three Stooges and playing Unreal Tournament.

[bemildred]

4. I wonder if there is a beer gene?

On the Y chromosome of course.

[FarCenter]

12. No, but the Y chromosome does carry the well known "beer goggle" gene

[abq e streeter]

5. we're just victims of coicumstance

[KittyWampus]

3. Wwwheeeeee! This could be fun. Please don't disappoint DU'ers. So many jokes possible

I feel like a deer in the headlights. Which angle to take...

argmxosiut!

[nc4bo]

7. Gosh - was thinking the very same thing as you..

:rofl:

[sufrommich]

6. What the heck is a "hefty boffinry"? nt

[ensho]

8. very interesting - do they know yet where the human male Y came from?

if not chimp like human women, then who?

[KittyWampus]

9. God?

:silly:

[ensho]

15. god has DNA?

nt

[seabeyond]

10. listening to bbc yesterday saying Y chromosome has lost many of its genes and the X

chromosome still has most of its genes.

[Kurt_and_Hunter]

11. Boffin is UK slang for scientist, apparently:

Boffin: A scientist or engineer, especially one engaged in technological or military research

hefty boffinry journal = substantial/reputable scientific journal

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/boffin

[TrogL]

13. I AM NOT A CHIMPANZEE

[MilesColtrane]

14. Contrary to this research, in recent studies the pickup line, "Wanna monkey around?" was deemed...

...no more effective than, "What's your sign?".