Source: US State of ConnecticutFor the first time, researchers have assembled a complete “end-to-end” reference genome for the sex chromosomes of five great ape species and one lesser ape species. Then in August 2023, the consortium announced it had fully sequenced the human Y chromosome as well. Like the human X and Y, the great ape Y chromosomes have far fewer genes compared to the X chromosomes. Researchers found that over 90% of the ape X chromosome sequences aligned to the human X chromosome, showing that the X chromosomes have remained relatively unchanged over millions of years of evolution. However, only 14% to 27% of the ape Y chromosome sequences aligned to the human Y chromosome.
