22 September 2010

Are humans less sophisticated than a choccy biccie?

Today’s Guardian has a leader item with a droll title relating a comparison of humans with choccy biccies…

US researchers have just completed the DNA sequence of Theobroma cacao, the fruit of which provides us with he raw material for chocolate and cocoa. Cacao joins more a growing list of species where scientists have completed the genetic sequence.

It was only in 1995 that Haemophilus influenzae became the first free living organism to have been sequenced. It is truly amazing how far things have come (and how far there is to go too)


But perhaps we should not be to smug… Cacao seems to have 35,000 while wheat DNA is believed to contain 40,000 genes. The human genome contains less than 25,000…. The mind boggles!

Yes I know that the number of genes is a specious measurement but let’s face, who of us doesn’t know someone who would be out thought by a Club biscuit!

5 comments:

Bryan said...

We have a an organization for those people in the US. We call it Congress.

jams o donnell said...

Are you sure they are that developed?

SnoopyTheGoon said...

Not surprising. Check out a good Belgian chocolate truffle vs a human. What the heck, make it a female human. Now decide what is more attractive. See?

jams o donnell said...

A female human dipped in chocolate.... mmm porny!!!

SnoopyTheGoon said...

I say, Jams! It shows that you are still too young to separate real pleasures from imagined ones ;-)