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Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, and a surprisingly small genetic difference accounts for the huge gap in how we look and think.

About how much of our DNA do humans share with chimpanzees?

About 98%
Humans and chimpanzees share roughly 98–99% of their DNA, our closest living relatives. That small remaining difference accounts for the vast gap in how we look, think, and live.

Humans and chimpanzees share roughly 98 to 99 percent of their DNA, making chimps our closest living relatives among all animals. Both species descended from a common ancestor that lived several million years ago, and the small remaining genetic differences, concentrated in genes affecting brain development, growth, and other traits, account for the substantial differences in intelligence, physical build, and behavior between the two species despite the shared genetic foundation.

50% would suggest a much more distant relationship, closer to what humans share with many less closely related animals, while 75% still understates just how genetically close humans and chimpanzees actually are.

This genetic closeness is part of why chimpanzees have historically been used in some biomedical research, and why observing their complex social behavior, tool use, and problem-solving has given scientists valuable insight into the possible origins of similar human traits.

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