Human-Chimp Genetic Similarity: Is the Evolutionary Dogma Valid? | The Institute for Creation Research

Human-Chimp Genetic Similarity: Is the Evolutionary Dogma Valid?

One of the major missions in ICR’s current research emphasis is to scientifically challenge the evolutionary tree of life as a valid biological paradigm.1 A common manifestation of this evolutionary dogma is the claim that humans are 95 to 99 percent genetically identical to chimpanzees.2 In evaluating this claim, the ICR research team has initiated new research3, 4 and is deeply involved in the review of pertinent scientific literature.5

Two research questions raised by the DNA similarity claim are as follows: 1) Is this value accurate? 2) If accurate, what is its biological meaning?

Evolutionists often state the 95 to 99 percent figure as a true statistic, insisting that the only rational explanation for the DNA similarity is common ancestry. They reason that if a common ancestor was shared by chimps and humans in the recent evolutionary past, the two genomes would have had very little time to deviate from one another.

Several rebuttals to this claim by creation scientists have previously been published in this magazine.6, 7

To date, at least one major criticism still holds true, pending new research reports: The physical arrangement of chimp DNA sequence is largely based on the human genomic framework, except for a recent study on the Y chromosome, which was found to be remarkably different from human.7 Once similar data are obtained for other chromosomes, it is unclear how this will affect the 95 to 99 percent figure. Hence, the high DNA similarity claim is actually somewhat premature.

Given the gross similarities between anatomy and physiology, it is not surprising to creation researchers that humans and chimps exhibit similarity in DNA sequence. However, even if the 95 to 99 percent figure is accurate, there are other biological parameters that present a challenge to evolutionists. Despite the crude similarity of anatomical features between humans and chimps, there remain large behavioral and biological differences, as highlighted, for instance, by non-Christian author Jeremy Taylor in his recent book Not a Chimp.8

Given the reality of the obvious biological dissimilarities, the dogma of high DNA similarity may trap the evolutionist in his own paradigm. If it is true that humans are 95 to 99 percent identical to chimps at the genetic level, the evolutionist has only 1 to 5 percent of a genomic difference to work with. Would this be enough to explain the tremendous biological differences between the species? Given the profoundness of the biological differences, the notion of 95 to 99 percent genetic similarity leaves the evolutionary scientists precious little DNA sequence with which to work to explain these differences.

An evolutionist might respond to these rebuttals with a persuasive-sounding analogy: “We know how closely two humans are related because we can do DNA comparisons between them. Aren’t human-chimp genetic comparisons simply a logical extension of a process everyone would accept as valid and factual?” Read more about the rebuttal to this claim next month.

References

  1. Jeanson, N. 2010. New Frontiers in Animal Classification. Acts & Facts. 39 (5): 6.
  2. Britten, R. J. 2002. Divergence between samples of chim-panzee and human DNA sequences is 5%, counting indels. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. 99 (21): 13633-13635.
  3. Tomkins, J. 2011. New Human-Chimp Chromosome 2 Data Challenge Common Ancestry Claims. Acts & Facts. 40 (5): 6.
  4. Tomkins, J. 2011. New Research Undermines Key Argument for Human Evolution. Acts & Facts. 40 (6): 6.
  5. Jeanson, N. 2010. Literature Review: Simplifying the Research Process. Acts & Facts. 39 (11): 6.
  6. Tomkins, J. 2009. Human-Chimp Similarities: Common Ancestry or Flawed Research? Acts & Facts. 38 (6): 12.
  7. Tomkins, J. and B. Thomas. 2010. New Chromosome Research Undermines Human-Chimp Similarity Claims. Acts & Facts. 39 (4): 4-5.
  8. Taylor, J. 2009. Not a Chimp. New York: Oxford University Press.

* Dr. Jeanson and Dr. Tomkins are Research Associates at the Institute for Creation Research.

Cite this article: Jeanson, N. and J. Tomkins. 2011. Human-Chimp Genetic Similarity: Is the Evolutionary Dogma Valid? Acts & Facts. 40 (7): 6.

The Latest
NEWS
August 2025 ICR Wallpaper
"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." (Galatians 6:9 NKJV) ICR's August...

NEWS
Quietly ''Devolving'' Tomatoes?
Apparently, evolution (and natural selection) can do almost anything: If new forms appear, the credit goes to creative natural selection; if old...

CREATION PODCAST
Five Unforgettable Lessons Learned from the Scopes Trial | The...
The Scopes Trial is one of the most famous court cases in American history, and this year marks its one hundredth anniversary....

NEWS
Yet Another Revised Age for the Land-Animal Ancestor
An allegedly vital piece of animal evolution was first discovered in 1984 in Scotland. Conventional scientists suggested the fossil of Westlothiana...

NEWS
Dr. James S. Johnson Goes Home to the Lord
Dr. James S. Johnson, chief academic officer and associate professor of apologetics for ICR’s School of Biblical Apologetics (SOBA), joined his...

NEWS
Pluto’s Largest Moon Looks Young
When the New Horizons space probe captured images of Pluto and its large moon Charon as it flew by in 2015, conventional scientists were surprised by...

NEWS
55-Million-Year-Old Tree Frog…Is Still a Tree Frog
In the 1990s, Australian paleontologists discovered fossil frog bones during a dig in Murgon, Queensland.1 This new species of frog—Litoria...

NEWS
Pastor and Longtime ICR Supporter Dr. John MacArthur Now with...
Faithful ICR supporter and pastor Dr. John MacArthur went home to be with the Lord on Monday, July 14, 2025, completing his 86-year pilgrimage.1...

CREATION PODCAST
Setting Sights on Scopes: The Truth Behind the Infamous Monkey...
The Scopes Trial is one of the most famous court cases in American history, and this year marks its one hundredth anniversary. Often,...

NEWS
Did Earthworms Rewrite Their DNA to Survive on Land?
An earthworm news story was recently posted that openly questions Darwin’s gradual and slow evolutionary progress in the living world.1...