Scientists say Kangaroos related to humans!

[Raph's Girl]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20081118/...ia_kangaroos_1

Australia's kangaroos are genetically similar to humans and may have first evolved in China, Australian researchers said Tuesday.

Scientists said they had for the first time mapped the genetic code of the Australian marsupials and found much of it was similar to the genome for humans, the government-backed Center of Excellence for Kangaroo Genomics said.

"There are a few differences, we have a few more of this, a few less of that, but they are the same genes and a lot of them are in the same order," center Director Jenny Graves told reporters in Melbourne.

"We thought they'd be completely scrambled, but they're not. There is great chunks of the human genome which is sitting right there in the kangaroo genome," Graves said, according to AAP.

Humans and kangaroos last shared an ancestor at least 150 million years ago, the researchers found, while mice and humans diverged from one another only 70 million years ago.

Kangaroos first evolved in China, but migrated across the Americas to Australia and Antarctica, they said.

"Kangaroos are hugely informative about what we were like 150 million years ago," Graves said.

Ok... so 150 million years ago we had pouches and hopped around???

I can believe it. They're roughly our size, totally bipedal, and share the same interest in boxing as we all do.

This is interesting because I've also read that humans and dophins both evolved from the same semi-aquatic primates.

[Evenstar227]

Pigs beat the 'roos to it.

[ThirdMarioBro]

Originally Posted by Ryona

This is interesting because I've also read that humans and dophins both evolved from the same semi-aquatic primates.

I've always loved that we're related to Dolphins because they figured life out a long time ago. Humans evolved feet and took to the land to break our backs in the sun, but Dolphins learned long ago that the real fun is in the water. Play all day. No wonder their brains are larger than our own.

That, and they're the only animals to risk their own hide to save people drowning in the ocean. Dolphins are my favorite animals.

[Drtooth]

Originally Posted by Evenstar227

Pigs beat the 'roos to it.

I've always thought so!

[Wingnut]

Originally Posted by ThirdMarioBro

I've always loved that we're related to Dolphins because they figured life out a long time ago. Humans evolved feet and took to the land to break our backs in the sun, but Dolphins learned long ago that the real fun is in the water. Play all day. No wonder their brains are larger than our own.

That, and they're the only animals to risk their own hide to save people drowning in the ocean. Dolphins are my favorite animals.

Dolphins are aliens, everyone knows that.

I can believe that actually. It's said that humans are aliens too. ...Well, part alien.

[gobo]

Some bacteria is Martian. ^_^

[Buslady]

like the pig article said, pretty much all animals are almost the same - we all got eyes, mouths, stomachs, hearts, guts...in many critters the arrangement of eyes, nose & mouth are similar, ears on top or sides, eyes over nose, nose over mouth....and they all do the same thing, just a few differences make them what animal they are.

(gobo i love your avatar!!)

[Katie]

isn't all life related....somewhere down the line....

[KROW]

Originally Posted by Wingnut

Dolphins are aliens, everyone knows that.

So long, and thanks for all the fish.

Originally Posted by Ryona

I can believe it. They're roughly our size, totally bipedal, and share the same interest in boxing as we all do.

Yeah, I was gonna say that it's plausible since we both like to hit things.

[Raph's Girl]

Originally Posted by Wingnut

Dolphins are aliens, everyone knows that.

So are Bees according to Doctor Who.

[StealthNinjaScyther]

Originally Posted by Ryona

This is interesting because I've also read that humans and dophins both evolved from the same semi-aquatic primates.

The aquatic ape theory? I'm familiar with it, but this is the first time I've heard the Dolphin part. It's an interesting story, but it doesn't qualify as a scientific theory. There is absolutely no evidence for it.

As for this story the only real interesting thing is that there is a lot of genetic information that isn't scrambled. This really doesn't mean that kangaroos are any more closely related to us, however.

Sorry for the rant, but these misleading science articles really annoy me.

[The Stryker]

Originally Posted by Katie

isn't all life related....somewhere down the line....

No. I dun know bout chya'll but I ain't no munkay.

[Katie]

Originally Posted by Stryker

No. I dun know bout chya'll but I ain't no munkay.

hahaha.....well obviously you and I aren't from the same paramecium....that'd be incest