The 9 animals closest to humans.. What connects it with humans?

The discovery of DNA in 1869 provided great services to humanity in all fields, perhaps the most important of which was that it confirmed the unity of the human race and dispelled the illusions of one race’s superiority over another.

This is achieved by proving that more than 99.9% of the components known as “genomes” in each person are identical, while they are 100% identical only if they are identical twins.

This science has not only connected all humans on Earth, regardless of their skin color, eye color, and external appearance, but it has also found relatives of ours in the DNA of other organisms.

This matter is very important to affirm the unity of the Earth in a harmonious and interconnected fabric, which may reduce human arrogance and pride not only towards their own kind but also towards other beings on the planet.

Scientists have found relationships that connect us with species of animals with whom we share a percentage of DNA, making them close to us to varying degrees. Among the 9 different animals, some are like brothers and sisters, and some are cousins and second cousins!
The chimpanzee comes in first place, as scientists proved in 2005 that “chimpanzees” share with us, according to geographical regions, between 98.6 and 99 percent of our DNA.

This type of monkey is closer to us than the gorilla. Interestingly, female chimpanzees also have a reproductive cycle similar to that of humans, as most of them reach sexual maturity before or during their teenage years, and they also have a gestation period of about 8 months.

The bonobo, a type of ape, was only discovered in 2012 to differ slightly from the chimpanzee, with the two species sharing 99.6 percent of their DNA. This means that this species is almost as close to humans in genomic sequence as chimpanzees.

Experts in this field believe that the three species—humans, chimpanzees, and bonobos—diverged from a common ancestor on the evolutionary path between 4 and 7 million years ago, while bonobos are described as the most emotional among all primate species.

As for the gorilla, which some might not like to acknowledge as being related to humans in DNA, despite its external appearance, it is close to us, and we share 98 percent of the genetic sequence with it.

Scientists believe that we diverged from common ancestors about 10 million years ago. Ironically, scientists have discovered that some genes shared in our DNA cause diseases like dementia, but unlike humans, gorillas do not suffer from it!

The fourth degree of kinship belongs to the orangutan, also known as “Orangutan.” This type of monkey is a bit further down the family tree and shares 97 percent of its DNA with humans.

The behavior of the males of this animal breed is characterized by putting on displays to show their “strength” in front of their rivals by jumping and smashing their surroundings before engaging in combat, which means they have a love for showmanship like many male humans!
The “gibbon” monkeys also belong to the hominid family, and this species developed arms and shoulders about 4 million years ago that now allow them to swing effortlessly through tree branches. One study identified that gibbons use at least 26 sounds similar to those made by early humans 1.8 million years ago.

A large number of species fit the definition of monkeys, with more than 260 in the latest classification. Researchers recently found that many aspects of our brains that control our thinking processes are similar to those found in monkeys. And some of the most similar areas are those that cause obsessive-compulsive disorder and drug use.

Scientists also say that we evolved from lemurs, and we had a common ancestor, which is “genetically” close to us.

It is striking that more than 70 percent of all lemur species are currently threatened with extinction, and the biggest culprits behind their extinction are humans, their distant relatives!

The eighth animal species in terms of closeness to humans might surprise some! They are cats, and they share 90% of our genes. They have been domesticated for over 10,000 years, and since then, they have never severed their bond with us.

The ninth animal species is perhaps more astonishing than the previous one! They are the cows:

Recent research has shown that we share more of our genome with cows than with rodents. The reason for this is that rodents and small animals reproduce at a rapid pace, leading to faster evolution of their DNA, and over time, they have become more distant from us than others.