Gorilla Genome Sequence
The “Insights into hominid evolution from the gorilla genome sequence” report, published by the British journal Nature this last week, stands as a historical milestone in the study of human origins, sequencing the gorilla genome.
Aylwyn Scally (pictured right below) at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute led the research team to complete the gorilla genome sequence project, the last genus of the living great apes to have its genome decoded. The use of gorilla genome sequences, Scally explains –
“Will promote a deeper understanding of great ape biology and evolution.”
Scientists now have the technology available to examine the gorilla genomes and compare it to the genome of the other living great apes; the human, chimpanzee, and orangutan genomes. The goal of the genomic information is to validate the evolutionary relationships of the hominins scientifically.
