Saturday, November 19, 2011

Can human sperm fertilize a chimpanzee embryo?

I hear that there is only a 2% difference between human DNA and chimpanzee DNA.





If it is possible, can chimpanzee sperm fertilize a human embryo?|||Nope



Although closely related, humans and chimps have a different number of chromosomes thereby rendering fertilisation impossible|||%26gt; Can human sperm fertilize a chimpanzee egg



That's a big fat We Don't Know. As far as I know, no one's tried this in vitro.



Earlier attempted insemination attempts did not produce any pregnancies, but the trials were of such limited extent that I'd call them inconclusive. The trials were performed prior to in vitro technologies.



As far as "different number of chromosomes" are concerned, horses and donkeys have different numbers of chromosomes and produce hybrid offspring (mules).



Edit: As far as different receptors are concerned, you don't know unless you actually perform the test. To the two biologists who have brought this up, can you cite a reference, a scientific paper by people who actually attempted in vitro fertilization between human and chimp gametes? Remember, horses and donkeys can fertilize each other's gametes -- and they've been separated in terms of years for abouut the same length of time as humans and chimps (and for about twice as many generations since they start breeding younger).|||No on both counts. Chimps and humans are separated evolutionarily by gamete isolation. The sperm of one species can not fertilize the ova of another species for a number of possible reasons, but often due to changes in receptors and ligands on the two cell's surfaces that must interact to allow for sperm penetration.|||The simple answer is that nothing can fertilize an embryo. An embryo has a full duplex genome. Now, as to whether human sperm can fertilize a chimpanzee egg; The answer is that it is very unlikely. Chimpanzees and humans have a different breakdown of the gene set. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes and other great apes have 24 pairs of chromosomes鹿. However, cross species fertilization can occur. A bovine can impregnate an antelope' e.g. "beefalo" a cross between cattle and the American bison. Experiments to determine if this is possible between humans and troglodytes would be viewed by many as unacceptable. Since such research would only satisfy morbid curiosity without any expectation of beneficial knowledge, it is unlikely that such experiments will be performed.|||A human sperm could probably peirce the outer coating of a chimp egg, "fertilizing" it, but the embryo that would result would probably not be viable.


The biggest barrier to human chimp hybridization is the difference in the number of our chromosomes, humans having 26 pairs and chimps having 28.


A human chimp hybrid, "humanzee"? "chimpuman"? if even possible, would have 27 pairs and would most likely be sterile.





too bad I say, we humans need a niche competitor ;)|||not at all. The chim's egg will reject the human sperm. The egg has species-specific receptors that ensure sperm from other species cannot pennetrate it.





2% of DNA is a HUGE number when we talk about DNA. Just because it sounds small, doesn't mean anything. Keep in mind, that 2% is what makes us human. Also, this does NOT mean that humans came from chimps. Evolution only states that chimps and humans had a common ancestor many years ago that diverged into two different branches. One branch led to humans and the other led to chimps.|||No- we are DIFFERENT species and have different numbers of chromosomes.|||No.

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