Is there any difference between a chimpanzee and a human?"

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LittleDeb said:
I believe the difference between the chimp and the human is simply one thing: free will.

Animals have instinct and can be conditioned to respond. Humans, as we are animals, have instinct and can be conditioned to respond. But we have one thing that animals don’t have. We can *choose *whether or not to respond.
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To this should be added the spiritual soul’s intellectual tools of reason, self reflection, logical evaluation, and analytical thought.

For example, when a wild forest fire approaches, a chimp’s material brain/body reactions are in accord with survival instincts plus some “learned” adaptive techniques as to which escape is the safest, etc. In a sense, chilly chimp chooses to flee because that is his basic reaction. It could even be a learned reaction because of previous experiences with uncontrollable fires.

When the same fire approaches a human, his material brain/body reactions are also in accord with survival instincts. He, too, wants to flee.

The difference is that while chilly chimp is running without much thought, the human mind can sort out various ways to combat the fire and then choose the one which has the greater chance of success. What makes the human being completely different is that the chosen actions can counter or override normal animal instincts. Only a human would use backfire to control the blaze.

It is the soul’s spiritual aspects, rational intellect and free will, which demonstrate that the human species is different in kind from all animals.

Blessings for the Christmas season,
granny

God is among us as the Baby of Bethlehem.
 
grannymh said:
To this should be added the spiritual soul’s intellectual tools of reason, self reflection, logical evaluation, and analytical thought.

For example, when a wild forest fire approaches, a chimp’s material brain/body reactions are in accord with survival instincts plus some “learned” adaptive techniques as to which escape is the safest, etc. In a sense, chilly chimp chooses to flee because that is his basic reaction. It could even be a learned reaction because of previous experiences with uncontrollable fires.

When the same fire approaches a human, his material brain/body reactions are also in accord with survival instincts. He, too, wants to flee.

The difference is that while chilly chimp is running without much thought, the human mind can sort out various ways to combat the fire and then choose the one which has the greater chance of success. What makes the human being completely different is that the chosen actions can counter or override normal animal instincts. Only a human would use backfire to control the blaze.

It is the soul’s spiritual aspects, rational intellect and free will, which demonstrate that the human species is different in kind from all animals.

Blessings for the Christmas season,
granny

God is among us as the Baby of Bethlehem.
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Animals have saved themselves and humans by their instincts for example any animals fled to higher ground before the 24 tsunami struck.

While I don’t really disagree with anything you have said, I believe the rest of God’s creation does praise God in every way and this is only disrupted by Man’s sin. There is beauty in all God has created and we humans should appreciate the wonder in his other creations.

A Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and all on the CAF.
 
Sometimes, if you watch them hunt or shop there isn’t much difference. Uh, uh, pretty rock, pretty rock, must have, must have…
 
Jolly_Joe said:
Sometimes, if you watch them hunt or shop there isn’t much difference. Uh, uh, pretty rock, pretty rock, must have, must have…
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Well the chimp and all other animals have no free will, so what does that say about humans and our violence and greed.? Know what you mean though.
 
Christmas 2009

To all:

May this holy day of Christ’s birth be one of love and peace.

May we, the descendents of Adam and Eve, realize our potential to change our lives for the better by bowing before the Baby in Bethlehem. Behold, here is God among us.

May we recognize that we are an unique species, separate and distinct from all other animal species. May we glorify God who endowed us with a nature of matter and spirit, corporal and rational, body and soul. As human beings, we have within us the free choice to be good, do good, and seek the eternal good which is God. We are shepherds seeking truth.

Christmas Blessings,
granny

The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
from the poem “Christmas” by George Herbert

To understand the beauty of our nature and the purpose of our life, please read Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition, ISBN: 1-57455-109-4

Or use this handy link
 
Jolly_Joe said:
Sometimes, if you watch them hunt or shop there isn’t much difference. Uh, uh, pretty rock, pretty rock, must have, must have…
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Well, I’ve read some of this thread–not sure the intent of the OP, or the clarification being sought out.

Chimpanzees share something like 98% of the same DNA that we have. It only takes a slight shift in DNA to create an entirely different species.

Chimpanzees and other primates have been taught to use sign language and are very intellegent creatures. Verbal communication is the thing that separates us from the animal world–and I suspect that the reason for this is MORE than just biology.

If animals could talk we would have a very different world. If animals could talk they would tell us their pain and misery and ask us why we are cruel to them and to each other. I think that if animals could talk WE would learn very much. It is interesting and valuable to learn how others see us. A child may not understand the error of his ways, but if Mom or Dad, siblings or friends, tell him how his actions hurt or cause harm, he will learn from his reflection in the eyes of others. Imagine what WE could learn from animals. Maybe God designed it specifically to be this way. We can not communicate directly with animals or with God. We have to figure out a lot of things without the benefit of EXACT communication with other species, or with our Creator. He has given us the Bible, profets, Christ… as aids to help us on our journey here, but we can not query Him specifically, get individual communication or answers…

I work with animals and they are completely amazing. I communicate in meaningful ways with them, but it is non-verbal. They have much wisdom to offer us, ***if we are wise enough ***to seek and pay attention. Unfortunately current human society abuses, mistreats, and greedily uses animals as commodities, instead of appreciating the beauty and value that they bring to this planet. God created them too, and loves them even if he did not give them the ability to speak.

Is there any difference between a chimpanzee and a human??? Yes, the human is capable of looking down on the animal, subjecting it to slavery and abuse, keeping him in captivity and inflicting cruel experiments on him…

Check out the ***Chimp Sanctuary ***website: chimpsanctuarynw.org/

P.S. We humans are capable of recognizing our own cruelty, greed, and sin, and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. We are capable of love, forgiveness, charity, and mercy–and we are capable of extending these to not only members of OUR OWN species, but to other species as well.*** That is what sets us apart from the animals…***
 
buffalo said:
“We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is a thought of God.” Pope Benedict XVI
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I totally agree. I don’t think that there is anything on our planet that is random or meaningless. God created us and the world, the Earth, on which we live. His creations are not hapless, random, or meaningless–not one.

P.S. And God created science too. Science does not exist apart from God.
 
Marfran said:
Your statement is not ***scientifically ***accurate. Please quote your source. My sources come from experts in the field like Katherine Pollard (UC Davis Genome Center and the Department of Statistics.)
sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/10/061013104633.htm
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youtube.com/watch?v=WBEtw7esmvg

^ An interesting video for those that, you know, believe in science.

And it’s important to note that we did not descend from chimps. Chimps and humans evolved from a common ancestor, who lived ~6 million years ago.

You could believe that. Or you could believe something else because of an ancient Jewish textbook. Personally, I think that the science is probably in the right on this one. Probably because of that whole *evidence *thing, which seems so pesky for religion.
 
Exalt said:
youtube.com/watch?v=WBEtw7esmvg

^ An interesting video for those that, you know, believe in science.
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Unfortunately, I don’t have sound. Nonetheless, I am familiar with G A T C in whatever order you wish to place these absolutely intriguing letters. Actually, I would rather study the original research.
And it’s important to note that we did not descend from chimps. Chimps and humans evolved from a common ancestor, who lived ~6 million years ago.
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The back tracking of individual genes is an adventure to the common ancestor (s)
Personally, I think that the science is probably in the right on this one. Probably because of that whole *evidence *thing, which seems so pesky for religion.
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If I may, I would like to point out that the whole “evidence thing” is turning out to be pesky for the scientists. So much so, that I started a thread directed to the methods evolutionary biologists use as a basis for their conclusions about the two sole parents of the human species. If you are interested, check out “How do popular evolutionary biologists come up with their decisions about Adam and Eve?” in Apologetics.

Regarding this thread, there is an interesting sample of evidence regarding basic math in monkeys and college students. Check post 99 above for the differences between the two groups.

Christmas Blessings,
granny

The shepherds sing; and shall I silent be?
from the poem “Christmas” by George Herbert
 
buffalo said:
You can start here:

Not a Chimp
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From the synopsis of this book I did not see where it refutes that chimpanzees share 98% of DNA with modern humans. A quote from the book you recommend: “***But relatively small differences in genetic code can lead to profound differences in cognition and behavior. Our abilities give us the responsibility to protect and preserve the natural world, including endangered primates.” ***

It is ***scientifically agreed ***that humans share 98% of DNA with humans. It only takes ***a very small change ***in DNA to create an entirely different species. This in and of itself is amazing. That tiny difference in our genes gives us the ability to communicate verbally and in a very sophisticated and expansive way.
 
grannymh said:
Unfortunately, I don’t have sound. Nonetheless, I am familiar with G A T C in whatever order you wish to place these absolutely intriguing letters. Actually, I would rather study the original research.
Click to expand...
I tried to play the video too but there was no sound.
 
Marfran said:
Well, I’ve read some of this thread–not sure the intent of the OP, or the clarification being sought out.

Chimpanzees share something like 98% of the same DNA that we have. It only takes a slight shift in DNA to create an entirely different species.

Chimpanzees and other primates have been taught to use sign language and are very intellegent creatures. Verbal communication is the thing that separates us from the animal world–and I suspect that the reason for this is MORE than just biology.

If animals could talk we would have a very different world. If animals could talk they would tell us their pain and misery and ask us why we are cruel to them and to each other. I think that if animals could talk WE would learn very much. It is interesting and valuable to learn how others see us. A child may not understand the error of his ways, but if Mom or Dad, siblings or friends, tell him how his actions hurt or cause harm, he will learn from his reflection in the eyes of others. Imagine what WE could learn from animals. Maybe God designed it specifically to be this way. We can not communicate directly with animals or with God. We have to figure out a lot of things without the benefit of EXACT communication with other species, or with our Creator. He has given us the Bible, profets, Christ… as aids to help us on our journey here, but we can not query Him specifically, get individual communication or answers…

I work with animals and they are completely amazing. I communicate in meaningful ways with them, but it is non-verbal. They have much wisdom to offer us, ***if we are wise enough ***to seek and pay attention. Unfortunately current human society abuses, mistreats, and greedily uses animals as commodities, instead of appreciating the beauty and value that they bring to this planet. God created them too, and loves them even if he did not give them the ability to speak.

Is there any difference between a chimpanzee and a human??? Yes, the human is capable of looking down on the animal, subjecting it to slavery and abuse, keeping him in captivity and inflicting cruel experiments on him…

Check out the ***Chimp Sanctuary ***website: chimpsanctuarynw.org/

P.S. We humans are capable of recognizing our own cruelty, greed, and sin, and DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT. We are capable of love, forgiveness, charity, and mercy–and we are capable of extending these to not only members of OUR OWN species, but to other species as well.*** That is what sets us apart from the animals…***
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Very well said:)

I did mention in one of my posts that the bonobos with darker faces, more hair are the most closely related to us. They are more peaceful than chimps.

I have myself seen crows staying with an injured crow, feeding and protecting it. No law of the jungle there.
 
Chimpanzee?

From 1964 to 2004, it was believed that humans are almost identical to apes at the genetic level. Ten years ago, we thought that the information coded in our DNA is 98.5% the same as that coded in chimpanzee DNA. This led some scientists to claim that humans are simply another species of chimpanzee. They argued that humans did not have a special place in the world, and that chimpanzees should have the same ’rights’ as humans.

…
To compare the two genomes, the first thing we must do is to line up the parts of each genome that are similar. When we do this alignment, we discover that only 2400 million of the human genome’s 3164.7 million ’letters’ align with the chimpanzee genome - that is, 76% of the human genome. Some scientists have argued that the 24% of the human genome that does not line up with the chimpanzee genome is useless ”junk DNA”. However, it now seems that this DNA could contain over 600 protein-coding genes, and also code for functional RNA molecules.
Looking closely at the chimpanzee-like 76% of the human genome, we find that to make an exact alignment, we often have to introduce artificial gaps in either the human or the chimp genome. These gaps give another 3% difference. So now we have a 73% similarity between the two genomes.
In the neatly aligned sequences we now find another form of difference, where a single ’letter’ is different between the human and chimp genomes. These provide another 1.23% difference between the two genomes. Thus, the percentage difference is now at around 72%.
We also find places where two pieces of human genome align with only one piece of chimp genome, or two pieces of chimp genome align with one piece of human genome. This ”copy number variation” causes another 2.7% difference between the two species. Therefore the total similarity of the genomes could be below 70%.
 
buffalo said:
Chimpanzee?

From 1964 to 2004, it was believed that humans are almost identical to apes at the genetic level. Ten years ago, we thought that the information coded in our DNA is 98.5% the same as that coded in chimpanzee DNA. This led some scientists to claim that humans are simply another species of chimpanzee. They argued that humans did not have a special place in the world, and that chimpanzees should have the same ’rights’ as humans.

…
To compare the two genomes, the first thing we must do is to line up the parts of each genome that are similar. When we do this alignment, we discover that only 2400 million of the human genome’s 3164.7 million ’letters’ align with the chimpanzee genome - that is, 76% of the human genome. Some scientists have argued that the 24% of the human genome that does not line up with the chimpanzee genome is useless ”junk DNA”. However, it now seems that this DNA could contain over 600 protein-coding genes, and also code for functional RNA molecules.
Looking closely at the chimpanzee-like 76% of the human genome, we find that to make an exact alignment, we often have to introduce artificial gaps in either the human or the chimp genome. These gaps give another 3% difference. So now we have a 73% similarity between the two genomes.
In the neatly aligned sequences we now find another form of difference, where a single ’letter’ is different between the human and chimp genomes. These provide another 1.23% difference between the two genomes. Thus, the percentage difference is now at around 72%.
We also find places where two pieces of human genome align with only one piece of chimp genome, or two pieces of chimp genome align with one piece of human genome. This ”copy number variation” causes another 2.7% difference between the two species. Therefore the total similarity of the genomes could be below 70%.
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???

Humans share 98% of the same DNA with the chimp. The tiny divergence accounts for really BIG differences in ability and behavior, however. Katherine Pollard is a leader in the field of genome research and I have provided links. Your above quotes come from WHERE??? **You must quote your SOURCES. **I suspect that you are TWISTING the science (or presenting in a misleading way) because you do not like the idea of primates being afforded “rights.” I think that we must look at science honestly. God’s hand is all over science. It is not an evil force, but we humans must use it wisely and responsibly. The 2% difference in the DNA between humans and chimpanzees accounts for a lot of astounding differences–I don’t see a reason to argue against conventional science.
 
More Chimp-Human Genome Problems

…It turns out that the differences between the human and chimp DNA instructions are not sprinkled, more or less at random, throughout our genome. Rather, these differences are found in clusters. Even more interesting, at these locations the chimp’s genome is quite similar to other primates–it is the human that differs from the rest, not the chimp.

Evolutionists refer to these clusters as human accelerated regions (HARs) because they believe the human genome evolved from a human-chimp common ancestor. Often these HARs are found in DNA segments that do not code for genes (the majority of the genome does not code for genes). As we have seen, these HARs cause several problems for evolution. For instance, we must believe that evolution magically caused rapid changes to occur right where needed to improve function and eventually create a human. As one evolutionist wrote:

The way to evolve a human from a chimp-human ancestor is not to speed the ticking of the molecular clock as a whole. Rather the secret is to have rapid change occur in sites where those changes make an important difference in an organism’s functioning. HAR1 is certainly such a place. So, too, is the FOXP2 gene, which contains another of the fast-changing sequences I identified and is known to be involved in speech.
 
Is there any difference between a chimpanzee and a human?

Yes. I like chimpanzees much, much better. 😉

Miz
 
Miserys_Fence said:
Is there any difference between a chimpanzee and a human?

Yes. I like chimpanzees much, much better. 😉

Miz
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Unless they rip your face off. You did hear about the woman who lost her eyes and her face to a chimpanzee attack. BUT I do believe that the blame for that incident falls on the misguided owner of that animal. The chimpanzee was given sedatives or other medication prior to the attack by the owner who was having difficulties with the behavior of the specific animal.

Yes I like animals too–BUT they are NOT human, and we really do have to take this into consideration in our exchanges and interactions with them. (But because they are different from us does not give us the right to be cruel to them, or to treat them as commodities.)
 
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