between 200,000 and 550,000 years ago, two close species of primates had sex between them. Encounters poachers of bonobos and chimpanzees were etched in the DNA of their descendants, as has been shown in a study published today in the journal Science. The study demonstrates for the first time that modern humans were not the only ones to have sexual intercourse with other species.
Bonobos and chimpanzees had sex thousands of years ago, which left a genetic imprint that today we can study
The research, involving scientists from the Universitat Pompeu Fabra of Barcelona, points out that the 1% of the current genome of chimpanzees, derives from the bonobos. The fact that these sexual encounters remain imprinted in the DNA remembers what happened between humans and neanderthals, whose relations 100,000 years ago are still present in our genome. According to estimates, between 2% and 4% of the DNA of humans with traces of Homo neanderthalensis.
DNA against the illegal traffic of species
The article in Science help to understand the gene flow that occurred between our closest living relatives, and could provide more information about human evolution. Although it had been noted in crosses between bonobos and chimpanzees in captivity, it had not been demonstrated that these sexual relations were to occur outdoors. The researchers have analyzed the entire genome of 65 chimpanzees and 10 bonobos, a study has also noted that genomics can reveal the region of origin of the first species, which can greatly help in the efforts to promote conservation.
“The chimpanzees who come from different countries are also distinct genetically,” explains Tomàs Marquès, which can help in the fight against the illegal trafficking
“we Knew the origin of all chimpanzees studied, and we have shown that individuals who come from different countries are also genetically distinct,” says Hypertext the Dr. Tomàs Marquès-Bonet, head of the laboratory of comparative Genomic of the UPF. Their study, which emerged after analysis of the genetic diversity of the general of the great apes and humans, it has an immediate application against the illegal traffic of species. This is a very lucrative trade, because a chimp can get to be sold in the international market for more than $ 20,000.
“Our work proves that with these molecular tools, it is possible to identify the origin of these animals and see what countries are they from, something that can help given the legislative issues and reintroduction that currently exist,” explains Marquès-Bonet. The second application of the article published in Science is of type evolution, because until now it was thought that chimpanzees and bonobos had been separated for over two million years. The mighty Congo river also serves as a natural barrier for the two species: while chimpanzees are found in the north, bonobos are found south.
A female chimpanzee rests next to his daughter in the Kibale National Park (Uganda). Credit: Kevin Langergraber.
After sequencing the DNA and comparing it, the scientists saw that the chimpanzees of the centre and east of Nigeria and Cameroon share a lot more genetic information with the bonobos chimps of the areas in the west. “The most reasonable explanation to this excess of genetic material shared is that both species had been crossed thousands of years ago”, pointing Marquès-Bonet. The researchers have been able to determine the date of those meetings poachers studying the length and similarity of the DNA fragments analyzed.
The results belie the myth that claimed that the species, once separated in the evolution, since they turned not cross
Traditionally, chimpanzees and bonobos have been considered close species. Even up to 1929 were studied as if they were the same group of primates, but have geographical features, physical and behavioral, which differentiate them, as said the expert Frans De Waal in an interview published by The Nation. Chimpanzees, for example, exhibit a behavior more violent; while if there are tensions between bonobos resolve them practicing sex. These primates have been known to keep a sex life is very rich, including gay and lesbian relationships and in a group.
The fact that the living species closest to humans have been cross-influence our own evolution. “The trees evolutionary current are models that do not reflect the genetic flow, so you will have to rewrite them to estimate the proportion that were” both between neanderthals and humans as between bonobos and chimpanzees, according to Marquès-Bonet. The results belie the myth that claimed that the species, once separated in evolution, because they turned not to cross over. the And is that the sex in the story have been much more dynamic than we think.
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