Our genome isn’t static; some of it can move about. We’re loaded with stretches of DNA that can copy themselves and paste their duplicates into new locations, increasing their numbers as they go. These sequences, known as retrotransposons, have become so abundant that they make up more than 40 percent of our genome. The majority of our retrotransposons can no longer jump.
By comparing our cells to those of our closest relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, Carol Marchetto and Inigo Narvaiza from the Salk Institute for Biological studies have shown that we keep these slippery bits of DNA under a particularly tight leash. By contrast, the other two apes allow L1s to move with much greater abandon—a trait that might help to explain why their genetic diversity is far greater than ours.
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Read the full, original story here: Humans Restrain Jumping DNA That Chimps Allow To Run Free
