Compared to chimpanzees, all humans on Earth are very closely related to each other.
Chimpanzees have a genetic makeup that is four times as diverse as that of humans.
This portion of the genome was chosen because it has been extensively studied in humans and tends to develop only few mutations over long periods of time. In this DNA sequence, chimpanzees show four times as many differences as humans. In addition, the apes' genome is almost three times as old. The scientists account for the comparatively small diversity in the human genome with a smaller point of departure. Modern humans developed from a relatively restricted group of hominids.