DNA Barcoding: A Quick Technique to Identify Species Reliably

In the animal kingdom, a preferred barcode region exists in mitochondria, the cellular organelles that power all life. This 'DNA barcoding' technique involves identifying species reliably through a short DNA sequence from a particular region of an organism. Research has shown that species are 'islands in sequence space,' with few intermediate 'stepping stones' surviving the evolutionary process.

A study published in the journal Human Evolution has shed light on the genetic diversity within humanity and its comparison to other animal species. According to the research, each species has its own specific mitochondrial sequence, and members of the same species are identical or tightly similar. This is likely true for over 90% of species on Earth today.

The study found that the average genetic diversity within humanity today corresponds to the divergence of modern humans as a distinct species about 100,000-200,000 years ago - not very long in evolutionary terms. The mass of evidence supports the hypothesis that most species, including birds, moths, and fish, like modern humans, arose recently and have not had time to develop a lot of genetic diversity.

However, evolution is relentless, offering insights into the timing of a species' emergence and its maintenance. Genetic variation - the average difference in mitochondrial DNA between two individuals of the same species - does not increase with population size. In fact, the typical difference within a species, including humans, is only 0.1% or 1 in 1,000 of the 'letters' that make up a DNA sequence.

This tiny genetic difference is comparable to the average genetic difference between any two individual people on the planet, which is roughly the same as the average genetic difference between a pair of house sparrows, pigeons, or robins. In terms of genetic diversity, humans are not special in the animal kingdom.

The study's findings were based on 'big data' insights from a growing collection of mitochondrial DNA and a large literature in evolutionary theory. The research was conducted by scientists at The Rockefeller University in New York City and the Biozentrum at the University of Basel in Switzerland.

In summary, the comparison between DNA chimpanzee vs human highlights the limited genetic diversity within humanity compared to other animal species. This study provides valuable insights into the timing of a species' emergence and its maintenance, emphasizing that evolution is relentless in shaping our understanding of the natural world.

Dna chimpanzee vs human