Not only do we have fewer genes than predicted but we are also astonishingly alike. The biological difference between individuals amounts to a fraction of the three billion letters in the human genetic code. Probably only a few thousand of those differences account for the biological differences between us, which means we all are essentially identical twins - even more than I thought. The unveiling of the genetic data confirms that there is no scientific basis for the concept of race. People from different racial groups can be more genetically similar than individuals within the same group.
Genetic studies show that there is more variability in the gene pool in Africa, than outside.
The work also raises philosophical questions about the planet we share with creatures surprisingly similar to ourselves. The challenge for scientists is to explain how a sophisticated human can be built from around 30,000 genes, fewer than for a grain of rice, and only a few hundred more than a mouse. Our genetic similarity to other creatures is firm proof of Charles Darwin's theories on the unity of life. Joint publication Researchers believe the key to the differences between humans and worms lies in the functions of some human genes and the proteins they control. We are not adding so many new genes performing new functions - what we are doing is to increase the variety and subtlety of genes that control other genes.