2007-12-22 07:16:38 · 7 answers · asked by gls1934 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
whatsnext is correct ... the answer is that small difference.
Even if there is only 1% difference ... when we're talking about 3 billion nucleotides (as in the human genome), 1% = 30 million differences!
2007-12-22 08:12:13 · answer #1 · answered by secretsauce 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
a) Habitat. People and chimps don't, historically, live in the same places.
b) Non-obvious ovulation. Chimp females have, um, obvious external swelling at the appropriate time. Human females don't. Human females never look "ready" to chimp males.
c) My mother says chimpanzees are ugly. Good luck finding someone willing to mate with a chimp.
=
Okay, so how about artificial insemination?
Honestly, I don't know where the process breaks down.
It might be at the very start -- maybe chimp sperm doesn't recognize a human egg, and therefore won't fertilize it. Maybe.
But let's suppose it does fertilize the egg. All goes well for a few days, but then paternal genes start having an influence on development. Now, you know that genes have been moving around on chromosomes. It may be that, say, some genes have migrated off our X chromosome and onto a somatic chromosome, but that this hasn't happened in chimps. Maybe. So the cell now makes too much of ... something, and the embryo dies. Maybe.
Anyway, there's something in the small changes that's key... and apparently a key change hasn't happened in the animals that do interbreed:
Horses x Donkey
Horses x Zebra
Tigers x Lion
2007-12-22 08:56:31 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
First, like all apes, chimps have 48 chromosomes, humans have 46. So, the chromosomes (homologous chromosomes) would not match. This does not preclude having matching DNA, but the DNA is not located in the exact same positions.
Some of the chromosomes match perfectly, but many do not. Therefore, the species cannot produce offspring.
Oh ... and they have NEVER been interbred as it simply does not work.
2007-12-22 08:03:26 · answer #3 · answered by academicjoq 7 · 5⤊ 0⤋
They have been interbred in private laboratory research. Actually the DNA of a chimpanzee and human is close to 99% the same. The DNA of a mouse and a human is 97% the same, and all living species has the same four contributors that result in DNA. The differences exist in the configuration of their arrangement.
2007-12-22 07:47:15 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 3⤋
Because of the 3% difference
2007-12-22 07:25:29 · answer #5 · answered by whatsnext_13 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Simple!! because they dont belong to the same Species .
2007-12-23 08:13:42 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think they have!
2007-12-22 07:23:55 · answer #7 · answered by gzlakewood@sbcglobal.net 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋