|
Human Genetic History
Human evolutionary genetics studies how one human genome differs from another human genome, the evolutionary past that gave rise to the human genome, and its current effects. Differences between genomes have anthropological, medical, historical and forensic implications and applications. Genetic data can provide important insights into human evolution. Origin of apes Biologists classify humans, along with only a few other species, as great apes (species in the family Hominidae). The living Hominidae include two distinct species of chimpanzee (the bonobo, ''Pan paniscus'', and the chimpanzee, '' Pan troglodytes''), two species of gorilla (the western gorilla, '' Gorilla gorilla'', and the eastern gorilla, ''Gorilla graueri''), and two species of orangutan (the Bornean orangutan, ''Pongo pygmaeus'', and the Sumatran orangutan, ''Pongo abelii''). The great apes with the family Hylobatidae of gibbons form the superfamily Hominoidea of apes. Apes, in turn, belong to the primate order ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Human Genome
The human genome is a complete set of nucleic acid sequences for humans, encoded as the DNA within each of the 23 distinct chromosomes in the cell nucleus. A small DNA molecule is found within individual Mitochondrial DNA, mitochondria. These are usually treated separately as the nuclear genome and the Human mitochondrial genetics, mitochondrial genome. Human genomes include both protein-coding DNA sequences and various types of non-coding DNA, DNA that does not encode proteins. The latter is a diverse category that includes DNA coding for non-translated RNA, such as that for ribosomal RNA, transfer RNA, ribozymes, small nuclear RNAs, and several types of RNA#Regulatory RNA, regulatory RNAs. It also includes Promoter (biology), promoters and their associated Cis-regulatory element, gene-regulatory elements, DNA playing structural and replicatory roles, such as Scaffold/matrix attachment region, scaffolding regions, telomeres, centromeres, and Origin of replication, origins of repl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Western Gorilla
The western gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla'') is a great ape found in Africa, one of two species of the hominid genus ''Gorilla''. Large and robust with males weighing around , the species is found in a region of midwest Africa, geographically isolated from the eastern gorilla (''Gorilla beringei''). The hair of the western species is significantly lighter in color. The western gorilla is the second largest living primate after the eastern gorilla. Two subspecies are recognised: the western lowland gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla gorilla'') is found in most of West Africa; while the Cross River gorilla (''Gorilla gorilla diehli'') is limited to a smaller range in the north at the border of Cameroon and Nigeria. Both subspecies are listed Critically Endangered. Taxonomy A formal description of the species was provided by Thomas Savage in 1847, allying the new species to an earlier description of the chimpanzee as ''Troglodytes gorilla'' in a group of eastern simians he referred to a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mitochondrial DNA
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA and mDNA) is the DNA located in the mitochondrion, mitochondria organelles in a eukaryotic cell that converts chemical energy from food into adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondrial DNA is a small portion of the DNA contained in a eukaryotic cell; most of the DNA is in the cell nucleus, and, in plants and algae, the DNA also is found in plastids, such as chloroplasts. Mitochondrial DNA is responsible for coding of 13 essential subunits of the complex oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) system which has a role in cellular energy conversion. Human mitochondrial DNA was the first significant part of the human genome to be sequenced. This sequencing revealed that human mtDNA has 16,569 base pairs and encodes 13 proteins. As in other vertebrates, the human mitochondrial genetic code differs slightly from nuclear DNA. Since animal mtDNA evolves faster than nuclear genetic markers, it represents a mainstay of phylogenetics and evolutionary biology. It als ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New World Monkeys
New World monkeys are the five families of primates that are found in the tropical regions of Mexico, Central and South America: Callitrichidae, Cebidae, Aotidae, Pitheciidae, and Atelidae. The five families are ranked together as the Ceboidea (), the only extant superfamily in the parvorder Platyrrhini (). Platyrrhini is derived from the Greek for "broad nosed", and their noses are flatter than those of other simians, with sideways-facing nostrils. Monkeys in the family Atelidae, such as the spider monkey, are the only primates to have prehensile tails. New World monkeys' closest relatives are the other simians, the Catarrhini ("down-nosed"), comprising Old World monkeys and apes. New World monkeys descend from African simians that colonized South America, a line that split off about 40 million years ago. Evolutionary history About 40 million years ago, the Simiiformes infraorder split into the parvorders Platyrrhini (New World monkeys) and Catarrhini (apes and Old World ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Old World Monkeys
Old World monkeys are primates in the family (biology), family Cercopithecidae (). Twenty-four genus, genera and 138 species are recognized, making it the largest primate family. Old World monkey genera include baboons (genus ''Papio''), red colobus (genus ''Red colobus, Piliocolobus''), and macaques (genus ''Macaca (genus), Macaca''). Common names for other Old World monkeys include the talapoin, guenon, colobus, douc (douc langur, genus ''Pygathrix''), vervet, gelada, mangabey (a group of genera), langur, mandrill, drill (animal), drill, surili (''Presbytis''), patas, and proboscis monkey. Phylogenetically, they are more closely related to apes than to New World monkeys, with the Old World monkeys and apes diverging from a common ancestor between 25 million and 30 million years ago. This Cladistics, clade, containing the Old World monkeys and the apes, diverged from a common ancestor with the New World monkeys around 45 to 55 million years ago. The individual species of Ol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Primate
Primates is an order (biology), order of mammals, which is further divided into the Strepsirrhini, strepsirrhines, which include lemurs, galagos, and Lorisidae, lorisids; and the Haplorhini, haplorhines, which include Tarsiiformes, tarsiers and simians (monkeys and apes). Primates arose 74–63 million years ago first from small terrestrial animal, terrestrial mammals, which adapted for life in tropical forests: many primate characteristics represent adaptations to the challenging environment among Canopy (biology), tree tops, including large brain sizes, binocular vision, color vision, Animal communication, vocalizations, shoulder girdles allowing a large degree of movement in the upper limbs, and opposable thumbs (in most but not all) that enable better grasping and dexterity. Primates range in size from Madame Berthe's mouse lemur, which weighs , to the eastern gorilla, weighing over . There are 376–524 species of living primates, depending on which classification is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hominoidea
Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a Family (biology), superfamily of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and Europe in prehistory, and counting humans are found globally). Apes are more closely related to Old World monkeys (family Cercopithecidae) than to the New World monkeys (Platyrrhini) with both Old World monkeys and apes placed in the clade Catarrhini. Apes do not have tails due to a mutation of the T-box transcription factor T, TBXT gene. In traditional and non-scientific use, the term ''ape'' can include tailless primates taxonomically considered Cercopithecidae (such as the Barbary ape and Celebes crested macaque, black ape), and is thus not equivalent to the scientific taxon Hominoidea. There are two Neontology#Extant taxa versus extinct taxa, extant branches of the superfamily Hominoidea: the gibbons, or lesser apes; and the hominids, or great apes. * The family Hylobatidae, t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gibbon
Gibbons () are apes in the family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast India to Southeast Asia and Indonesia (including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java). Also called the lesser apes, gibbons differ from the great apes ( chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans) in being smaller, exhibiting low sexual dimorphism, and not making nests. Like all of the apes, gibbons are tailless. Unlike most of the great apes, gibbons frequently form long-term pair bonds. Their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, involves swinging from branch to branch for distances up to , at speeds as fast as . They can also make leaps up to , and walk bipedally with their arms raised for balance. They are the fastest of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. Depending on the species and sex, gibbons' fur coloration varies from ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hylobatidae
Gibbons () are apes in the Family (biology), family Hylobatidae (). The family historically contained one genus, but now is split into four extant genera and 20 species. Gibbons live in subtropical and tropical forests from eastern Bangladesh and Northeast India to Mainland Southeast Asia, Southeast Asia and Indonesia (including the islands of Sumatra, Borneo and Java (island), Java). Also called the lesser apes, gibbons differ from the great apes (pan (genus), chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and humans) in being smaller, exhibiting low sexual dimorphism, and not making nests. Like all of the apes, gibbons are tailless. Unlike most of the great apes, gibbons frequently form long-term pair bonds. Their primary mode of locomotion, brachiation, involves swinging from branch to branch for distances up to , at speeds as fast as . They can also make leaps up to , and walk bipedally with their arms raised for balance. They are the fastest of all tree-dwelling, nonflying mammals. Depe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sumatran Orangutan
The Sumatran orangutan (''Pongo abelii'') is one of the three species of orangutans. Critically endangered, and found only in the north of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, it is rarer than the Bornean orangutan but more common than the recently identified Tapanuli orangutan, also found in Sumatra. Its common name is based on two separate local words, ''orang'' 'people; person' and ''hutan'' 'forest', derived from Malay language, Malay, and translates as 'person of the forest'. Description Male Sumatran orangutans grow to about tall and , while females are smaller, averaging and . Compared to the Bornean species, Sumatran orangutans are thinner and have longer faces; their hair is longer and has a paler red color. Evolution Fossil orangutans in Sumatra from the Pleistocene had similar diets to present day Sumatran orangutans, consisting mainly of soft fruit as evidenced by dental microwear. Behaviour and ecology Compared with the Bornean orangutan, the Sumatran orangutan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pongo Pygmaeus
Pongo may refer to: Places * Pongo (geography), canyon or narrow gorge in the Upper Amazon * Pongo River (other), several rivers or estuaries in Africa * Pongo, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Pongo, Longleng, village in Longleng district of Nagaland State, India People * Tom Waring, Tom 'Pongo' Waring (1906–1980), English footballer * Joe Cantillon ("Pongo Joe", 1861–1930), U.S. manager in American Major League Baseball * Pongo (musician) Angolan-Portuguese musician Animals * Pongo (genus), ''Pongo'' (genus), the orangutans * Pongo, chimpanzee, star attraction in 1884 at the Zoological Park in Walton, Liverpool Fictional characters * Pongo Twistleton, book character from P. G. Wodehouse's Uncle Fred stories from the 1930s to 1960s * Janice "Pongo" Footrot, comics character from Murray Ball's strip ''Footrot Flats'' (1975–1994) * Pongo the Pirate, puppet character from Gerry Anderson's TV series ''Torchy the Battery Boy'' (1958–1959) * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bornean Orangutan
The Bornean orangutan (''Pongo pygmaeus'') is an orangutan species endemic to the island of Borneo. It belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia and is the largest of the three ''Pongo'' species. It has a coarse, reddish coat and up to long arms. It is sexually dimorphic — males are larger than females and develop large cheek pads (flanges), for example. The Bornean orangutan inhabits Borneo lowland rain forests and Borneo montane rain forests up to an elevation of . Its diet includes fruits, seeds, flowers, bird eggs, sap and vines. It is highly intelligent, displaying tool use and distinct cultural patterns. It is critically endangered, with deforestation, palm oil plantations, and hunting posing a serious threat to its survival. Taxonomy The Bornean orangutan and the Sumatran orangutan diverged about 400,000 years ago, with a continued low level of gene flow between them since then. The two orangutan species were considered merely subspecies until 1996; they ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
