Banana: more than 60 percent identical Many of the “housekeeping” genes that are necessary for basic cellular function, such as for replicating DNA, controlling the cell cycle, and helping cells divide are shared between many plants (including bananas) and animals.
“Bananas have 44.1% of genetic makeup in common with humans.” “Humans share 50% of our DNA with a banana.”
Even bananas surprisingly still share about 60% of the same DNA as humans!
Humans and bananas share about 40 to 60 percent of the same DNA. This doesn't mean humans are bananas or vice versa, but it does mean there are similarities. This discovery of shared DNA occurred during the National Human Genome Research Institute in 2013.
You may be surprised to learn that 60 percent of the DNA present in strawberries is also present in humans.
Scientists estimate that we share about 60% of our DNA with bananas. These are mostly “housekeeping” genes, the code for basic cellular functions such as controlling the cell cycle and helping cells divide.
More startling is an even newer discovery: we share 99% of our DNA with lettuce. This could have startling philosophical, scientific and medical implications.
And, it turns out; the fish are a lot like people. Humans and zebrafish share 70 percent of the same genes and 84 percent of human genes known to be associated with human disease have a counterpart in zebrafish.
Our feline friends share 90% of homologous genes with us, with dogs it is 82%, 80% with cows, 69% with rats and 67% with mice [1]. Human and chimpanzee DNA is so similar because the two species are so closely related.
About 60 percent of chicken genes correspond to a similar human gene. However, researchers uncovered more small sequence differences between corresponding pairs of chicken and human genes, which are 75 percent identical on average, than between rodent and human gene pairs, which are 88 percent identical on average.
In all fairness, we share nearly 1/3 of our genetic sequence with potatoes but we are far more complex beings. Those differences in genetic code make a huge difference. One that doesn't matter is the number of chromosomes.
As a result humans share about 40% of our DNA with apples.
About 60 percent of our genes have a recognizable counterpart in the banana genome! "Of those 60 percent, the proteins encoded by them are roughly 40 percent identical when we compare the amino acid sequence of the human protein to its equivalent in the banana," Brody adds.
Strawberries have large genomes; they are octoploid, which means they have eight of each type of chromosome in each cell. Thus, strawberries are an exceptional fruit to use in DNA extraction labs and strawberries yield more DNA than any other fruit (i.e. banana, kiwi, etc.).
Back to the question on similarity between humans and bananas - overall, the vast majority of human DNA is very different to bananas. However, if you just look at the 2% of DNA corresponding to protein-coding genes, there is a pretty high degree of similarity between them; which is where the 50% comes from.
It's probably not that surprising to learn that humans share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees–but incredibly, we also share 70% with slugs and 50% with bananas.
These three species look alike in many ways, both in body and behavior. But for a clear understanding of how closely they are related, scientists compare their DNA, an essential molecule that's the instruction manual for building each species. Humans and chimps share a surprising 98.8 percent of their DNA.
Scientists have now completed a draft sequence of the frog Xenopus tropicalis and found that the amphibian's genome contains remarkable similarities to those of the mouse, the chicken and, yes, even the human genome.
Comparing the two ant species, the scientists found that approximately 20 percent of their genes are unique, while some 33 percent are shared with humans.
Humans and cabbage share about 40-50% common DNA, while 98% of your DNA is common with a chimpanzee!
For the first time ever, a group of researchers has sequenced the genome of the spider. This knowledge provides a much more qualified basis for studying features of the spider. It also shows that humans share certain genomic similarities with spiders.
The genetic DNA similarity between pigs and human beings is 98%. Interspecies organ transplant activities between humans and pigs have even taken place, called xenotransplants.
Cows and humans do indeed share 80% of their DNA, the building block of all life on earth, according to this 2009 study in the journal Science. But humans are genetically closer to a host of species than they are to cows, including cats, dogs, horses, and our closest relatives, apes.
The recent sequencing of the gorilla, chimpanzee and bonobo genomes confirms that supposition and provides a clearer view of how we are connected: chimps and bonobos in particular take pride of place as our nearest living relatives, sharing approximately 99 percent of our DNA, with gorillas trailing at 98 percent.