COLUMBUS, Ohio – An international team of scientists has
sequenced the genome of the bonobo, a primate that, along with
chimpanzees, is the closest living relative of humans. Unlike
chimpanzees, which have an aggressive nature, bonobos tend to be
peaceful, playful and highly sexual. The study, published online
in the journal Nature, compares the bonobo genome to the genomes
of chimpanzees and humans. As part of the study, scientists at
the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur
G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research
Institute (OSUCCC – James) analyzed and compared movable pieces
of DNA called transposons in the three genomes. "The findings
will help scientists understand the evolutionary relationships
between humans, chimpanzees and bonobos, and should help us
learn more about the genetic basis for traits that humans share
with these close relatives," says Dr. David E. Symer, assistant
professor of molecular virology, immunology and medical genetics
and leader of the Ohio