Genetics

[JohnnyGus]

Would I be more genetically similar to someone I'm not related to but who's of the same race as me than to someone from a different race?

[MargeB]

Not necessarily. Probably though.

The genetic differences between humans are very very small, due to the fact that some very bad event thousands of years ago reduced our numbers to about 20,000, and we all come from them.

Scientists have recently shown that there is a 98.8 percent DNA overlap between modern humans and george bush.

Amazing.

[rojash]

"Scientists have recently shown that there is a 98.8 percent DNA overlap between modern humans and george bush."

Now that, I DON'T believe...

[Loosehead]

Depends how similar you mean, apparantly we share 90%+ of our genes with a daisy!

[MargeB]

The genetic differences between two people by virtue of race are far smaller than the differences by virtue of gender.

[MargeB]

So much with a daisy? Thought it would be more like 50. Depends what you're measuring with though. For 'critical genes' the chimp-human overlap is about 99%.

[Peter Pedant]

No its 90 %

All that means is that 90% of your DNA is required to run a cell - pretty complicated, then - and the rest 10% is organisation into a horse, tree or George Bush