Madison Redskin Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 (CNN) -- You've read the headline, and it probably made you giggle. Go ahead. Get it out of your system. Then take a deep breath and consider how evolution affected a few specific body parts, and why. Humans and chimpanzees share more than 97% of DNA, but there are some fairly obvious differences in appearance, behavior and intellect. Now, scientists are learning more than ever about what makes us uniquely human. We know that humans have larger brains and, within the brain, a larger angular gyrus, a region associated with abstract concepts. Also, male chimpanzees have smaller penises than humans, and their penises have spines. Not like porcupine needles or anything, but small pointy projections on the surface that basically make the organ bumpy. Gill Bejerano, a biologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues wanted to further investigate why humans and chimpanzees have such differences. They analyzed the genomes of humans and closely related primates and discovered more than 500 regulatory regions -- sequences in the genome responsible for controlling genes -- that chimpanzees and other mammals have, but humans do not. In other words, they are making a list of DNA that has been lost from the human genome during millions of years of evolution. Results from their study are published in the journal Nature. Read the rest of the story here. How did I beat China to the punch on this story? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokerPacker Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 How did I beat China to the punch on this story? He was deep in Farmer Anus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan T. Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 He was deep in Farmer Anus. :rotflmao: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TD_washingtonredskins Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I'm shocked, looking at the title, that China didn't start this thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnhay Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Sperm competition? What kind of theory is that? People think that monkeys might have wiener spines to get rid of other monkey sperm? What purpose does that serve, and how the hell did monkeys will themselves to have weiner bumps? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 He was deep in Farmer Anus. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Not like porcupine needles or anything, but small pointy projections on the surface that basically make the organ bumpy. Gill Bejerano, a biologist at Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues wanted to further investigate why humans and chimpanzees have such differences. They analyzed the genomes of humans and closely related primates and discovered more than 500 regulatory regions -- sequences in the genome responsible for controlling genes -- that chimpanzees and other mammals have, but humans do not. In other words, they are making a list of DNA that has been lost from the human genome during millions of years of evolution. Results from their study are published in the journal Nature. I think it's pretty clear how humans lost those spines. Anybody remotely familiar with darwinian genetics could probable piece together what happenned. Spinny members proved an evolutionary liability when it came to propagation. Evidently small with needle like projections was a show stopping phenotype with ladies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bang Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 I think it's pretty clear how humans lost those spines. Anybody remotely familiar with darwinian genetics could probable piece together what happenned. Spinny members proved an evolutionary liability when it came to propagation. Evidently small with needle like projections was a show stopping phenotype with ladies. Then why are there so many Chinese? ~Bang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
China Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Humans have kept the "light bulb," however -- we have androgen receptors, but ours don't produce whiskers or penile spines, he said. Chimpanzees do have small sensory whiskers, not as externally obvious as in cats or mice, but we don't have them at all. To sum up: Humans lack a switch in the genome that would "turn on" penile spines and sensory whiskers. But our primate relatives, such as chimpanzees, have the switch, and that's why they differ from us in these two ways. So with the right gene therapy we can make people with whiskers and penile spines? Hmmm... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterMP Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Sperm competition? What kind of theory is that? People think that monkeys might have wiener spines to get rid of other monkey sperm? What purpose does that serve, and how the hell did monkeys will themselves to have weiner bumps? http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Human-Sperm-Competition-46787.shtml http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sperm_competition They didn't will themselves it happened by accident and most likely not to them, but to some other species they are related to evolutionarily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMS Posted March 9, 2011 Share Posted March 9, 2011 Then why are there so many Chinese?~Bang There is just so many responses to that which jump to mind. Due to my respect and fond feelings towards you I will refrain from using any of them. nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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