Humans share 60% of their genes with bananas but this figure can mislead.

[석수]

인간은 자신의 유전자의 60%를 바나나와 공유하지만, 이 수치는 오해를 일으킬 수 있습니다.



Humans share 60% of their genes with bananas, but this figure can be misleading;
인간은 유전자의 60%를 바나나와 공유하지만, 이 수치는 오해의 소지가 있을 수 있습니다;



a more accurate measure of overall genetic similarity is much lower. The shared genes are primarily "housekeeping" genes that are essential for basic cellular functions like DNA replication and cell cycle control, which are common across many different life forms.

How the figure is calculated


Shared genes vs. total DNA: The 60% figure is not a comparison of the entire DNA sequence. Instead, it means that about 60% of human genes have a recognizable counterpart (a homolog) in the banana genome.


Common ancestry:

This similarity is because both humans and bananas share a common ancestor from which they inherited the fundamental genes necessary for life.

Not identical: The homologous genes are not identical. When the amino acid sequences of these matching proteins are compared, the average similarity is only about 40%.


"Housekeeping" genes:

The genes that are shared are those that perform basic functions for all living cells, such as those for energy processing and cell repair.