Monkey genes help us see what makes us human

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Many of the genes that cause diseases in humans can be found in macaque monkeys but not in our nearest relative, the chimpanzee, researchers reported on Thursday in a study that sheds more light on what makes humans different.

A team of more than 170 scientists from around the world has sequenced the genome -- the entire genetic map -- of the rhesus macaque, a monkey heavily used by medical researchers.

They can use this information to "triangulate" their way through the genomes of primates -- the family of mammals that includes humans, great apes and monkeys.

"This sequence and its comparison to that of the human and chimpanzee enable us to look back at history at how these species evolved and diverged," said Dr. Richard Gibbs of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, who led the project.

"It points to genes that are important for defining the difference between the species."

Humans and chimps split away from their common ancestor between 4 million and 7 million years ago, depending on the estimate. Macaques split off about 25 million years ago, so having their DNA map adds a new dimension when examining the genes.

While humans and chimps share about 98 percent of their DNA, macaques share about 93 percent.

But what is more interesting is what they have in common with us, the researchers write in a series of reports published in the journal Science.