Not a Chimp: The Hunt to Find the Genes that Make Us Human - Hardcover

Taylor, Jeremy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0199227780 ISBN 13: 9780199227785

Publisher: Oxford University Press, 2009

Synopsis

It is one of the best-known pieces of scientific trivia--that human DNA and chimpanzee DNA differ by a mere 1.6%. But are we then just chimps with a few genetic tweaks? Are our language and our technology just an extension of the grunts and ant-collecting sticks of chimps?

In Not a Chimp, Jeremy Taylor describes one of the great scientific quests of our times--the effort to discover precisely what makes humans different from other primates, especially our closest evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee. Drawing on state-of-the-art science, Taylor convincingly debunks the assertion that our two species are nearly identical genetically. He sketches the picture now emerging from cutting-edge research in genetics, animal behavior, and other fields to show that the so-called 1.6% difference is effectively much larger, leading to a profound divergence between the two species. Indeed, he explains that the evolution of the human genome has accelerated since the split of chimps and humans from a common ancestor more than six million years ago. In fact, at least 7% of human genes--almost one gene in ten--have accumulated changes within the last 50,000 years. Some of the genes that have changed orchestrate entire sets of other genes, and recent studies show that it is this complex interaction--rather than the action of individual genes--that underlies speech processes, brain development, and a host of other mechanisms that make humans unique.

We humans are far different, genetically speaking, than chimps. More than that, we have been the architects of our own evolution through the same processes that have produced our farm animals and crop plants. We are the apes that domesticated themselves.

"Should be mandatory reading for journalists who often reinforce the general public's misconception that chimps are practically human."
--New Scientist

About this title

About the Author

Jeremy Taylor is a science documentary film producer. His films have been aired as part of the televisions series "Nova" and the BBC's "Horizon," as well as on the Discovery Channel and National Geographic television.

Reviews

Taylor, a science writer and documentary producer, has a serious beef with scientists and activists who want to equate chimps and other apes with humans, claiming that the fundamental distinctions between the biological and social development of men and chimps is consistently overlooked by anthropomorphizing primatologists and comparative biologists. Taylor's arguments are generally well-reasoned, supported by clear analyses and ongoing genetics research, and he's adept at explaining complex molecular processes and their study for non-geneticists (though more illustrations would have helped). Taylor also describes studies of chimp behavior in the lab, for example, attempting to discover if chimps are able to link cause and effect in daily events ("folk physics"). Taylor also compares lab-based tool-use in chimps with that of birds, particularly New Caledonian Crows (the geniuses of the corvid clan). Unfortunately, Taylor's tone is frequently abrasive; his criticisms are generally valid, but scientists who agree with him get off easy, while those who disagree are subject to severe examination. Taylor certainly has more than a few worthy points, but it's hard to swallow them with so much bitter sentiment in the mix.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0199227780
• ISBN 13: 9780199227785
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 368