Even bananas surprisingly still share about 60% of the same DNA as humans!
Back to the question on similarity between humans and bananas - overall, the vast majority of human DNA is very different to bananas. However, if you just look at the 2% of DNA corresponding to protein-coding genes, there is a pretty high degree of similarity between them; which is where the 50% comes from.
About 60 percent of our genes have a recognizable counterpart in the banana genome! "Of those 60 percent, the proteins encoded by them are roughly 40 percent identical when we compare the amino acid sequence of the human protein to its equivalent in the banana," Brody adds.
More startling is an even newer discovery: we share 99% of our DNA with lettuce. This could have startling philosophical, scientific and medical implications.
In all fairness, we share nearly 1/3 of our genetic sequence with potatoes but we are far more complex beings. Those differences in genetic code make a huge difference. One that doesn't matter is the number of chromosomes.
About 60 percent of chicken genes correspond to a similar human gene. However, researchers uncovered more small sequence differences between corresponding pairs of chicken and human genes, which are 75 percent identical on average, than between rodent and human gene pairs, which are 88 percent identical on average.
And, it turns out; the fish are a lot like people. Humans and zebrafish share 70 percent of the same genes and 84 percent of human genes known to be associated with human disease have a counterpart in zebrafish.
For example, people and tomatoes share as much as 60 percent of the same genes. Lemaux has been speaking about genetic engineering for a decade as he and her colleagues delve deeper into plant breeding.
Comparing the two ant species, the scientists found that approximately 20 percent of their genes are unique, while some 33 percent are shared with humans.
Humans share DNA with thousands of living things, from bananas to worms to yeast. This is because all plants, animals and fungi evolved from a common ancestor more than 1.5 billion years ago. So, humans share 24% of their genes with grapes, 24% with rice, 38% with roundworms and 44% with honey bees.
You may be surprised to learn that 60 percent of the DNA present in strawberries is also present in humans.
The genetic DNA similarity between pigs and human beings is 98%. Interspecies organ transplant activities between humans and pigs have even taken place, called xenotransplants.
Banana: more than 60 percent identical
Many of the “housekeeping” genes that are necessary for basic cellular function, such as for replicating DNA, controlling the cell cycle, and helping cells divide are shared between many plants (including bananas) and animals.
The recent sequencing of the gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo genomes confirms that supposition and provides a clearer view of how we are connected: chimps and bonobos in particular take pride of place as our nearest living relatives, sharing approximately 99 percent of our DNA, with gorillas trailing at 98 percent.
As a result humans share about 40% of our DNA with apples.
Since the onion (Allium cepa) is a diploid organism having a haploid genome size of 15.9 Gb, it has 4.9x as much DNA as does a human genome (3.2 Gb). Other species in the genus Allium vary hugely in DNA content without changing their ploidy.
Why do scientists investigate flies? Outwardly, fruit flies and humans have little in common. It is all the more astonishing that roughly 60 percent of the fly's genes can also be found in humans in a similar form.
The percentage of genetic similarities between humans and animals does vary: chimps, 97% similar; cats, 90%; cows, 80%; mice, 75%; fruit flies, 60%, and jellyfish, 60%.
Common Ancestors:
From our knowledge of the theory of Evolution, we know that all life is related and that all animals came from a common ancestor. This also means that we share our DNA with other organisms including dinosaurs.
Introduction. In 1999 the genome of a pumpkin was sequenced, and a BBC science reporter confidently announced that “75% of our genetic make-up is the same as a pumpkin” (Durrani 1999).
Most of our DNA determines that we are human, rather than determining how we are different from any other person. So it is not so surprising that the DNA of any two human beings is 99.9 percent identical.
We also share a shocking amount of DNA with plants and insects. We share 50% of our DNA with trees, 70% with slugs (gross), 44% with honey bees, and even 25% with daffodils.
Some 450 million years ago, sharks and humans shared a common ancestor, making sharks our distant cousins. And according to recent research, this kinship is evident in our DNA, as at least one shark species possesses several genes that are nearly identical to those in humans.
It's probably not that surprising to learn that humans share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees–but incredibly, we also share 70% with slugs and 50% with bananas.
Cats. You probably thought dogs were a little closer on the evolutionary scale, since they're supposedly our best friends. It turns out that cats actually share 90 percent of our genes.