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From: sbishop@desire.wright.edu
Newsgroups: sci.bio
Subject: Re: Man vs Woman vs Chimp DNA Percentages
Message-ID: <1340.27063f87@desire.wright.edu>
Date: 30 Sep 90 23:55:03 GMT
References: <1803@anaxagoras.ils.nwu.edu> <68103@lll-winken.LLNL.GOV> <999@massey.ac.nz> <1990Sep21.195915.1913@cbnewsd.att.com>
Lines: 25

In article <1990Sep21.195915.1913@cbnewsd.att.com>, kja@cbnewsd.att.com (krista.j.anderson) writes:
> <>
> <>
> In article <999@massey.ac.nz>, AChamove@massey.ac.nz (A.S. Chamove) writes:
>> Over the past few years, there has been a lot of debate on the following
>> question: 
>> If chimps and humans are so close genetically, then why can we not make
>> hybrids?  Of course a lot of people say that we can and could.  Others
>> say that there are incompatibilites, but no one I have encountered has
>> been able to specify what those incompatibilites are. Can you?
> 
> There's a different number of chromosomes.  We have 46; I think
> chimps have 48, but it might be 44.  In one species a chunk of one
> chromosome broke off and rejoined a different chromosome.  Sorry I
> don't have details.
> -- 
> Krista A.
> HONOR Our Neighbors' Origins and Rights!


Sorry to correct you but this has been discussed earlier.  The chromosome 
count difference is not considered a valid excuse for failure to crossbreed.
Horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosome pairs and they 
manage quite well to produce offspring when bred together.  The offspring
are called MULES.