A new study of chimpanzee DNA could lead to major breakthroughs in multiple areas.
What's happening?
The Conversation revealed its findings last month as part of the Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee, sharing that evidence shows different populations of chimpanzees "have evolved genetic differences to adapt to their local habitats." This phenomenon of local genetic adaptation "has important implications for chimpanzee conservation, and, potentially, our understanding of human evolution and medicine."
Chimpanzees have multiple habitats across 1.62 million miles of West, Central, and East Africa, ranging from dense forests to open savannas. These endangered creatures have already shown behavioral adaptations to habitat challenges, such as sheltering in caves or increasing nighttime activity to escape the heat.
However, local adaptation indicates that the species is evolving, and these findings can thereby lead to answers to key questions in human biology and evolution.
The Conversation said the study "found clear evidence for the evolution of genetic adaptations to infectious diseases" in chimpanzees that reside in forests, which "mimics previously observed patterns of genetic adaptation in human populations living in these same forests." It was noted that "some of the strongest evidence of adaptation in chimpanzees is found in genes that are involved in adaptation to malaria in humans," suggesting that both have evolved similarly in response to the same disease.
Why is this important?
As explained by The Conversation, there are fewer than 250,000 chimpanzees left, and the species is facing an annual decline of 1.5% to 6% because of ongoing threats such as habitat destruction, hunting, and infectious diseases.
The results of the study can help inform chimpanzee conservation efforts. Differences in genetic adaptations between chimpanzee populations suggest they are not interchangeable and instead show that "ecological shifts driven by climate change are likely to have different effects on different populations," per The Conversation.
The similarities in malaria adaptations between chimpanzees and humans indicate that there may be only a few ways that hosts can adapt to the parasite that causes the disease, potentially presenting an avenue to better understand the way humans are affected by it.
What's being done about this?
The Conversation stated that further research is required to "demonstrate that the genetic variants identified in this study truly are protective against malaria."
You can get involved by exploring conservation efforts to help maintain the natural habitats for chimpanzees and reduce the risk of disease transmission. Protecting the health and well-being of these creatures helps maintain biodiversity and ecological balance, creating a safer future for all.
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