# Is a person's 1,000,000th cousin even a human being? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 19, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247 "2012-04-19T04:19:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247/21 "2012-04-19T16:56:48Z")
In humans, two chromosomes fused into one. In chimps, they stayed separate. Chromosomes fuse and split all the time during evolution, it is very common for closely related species to have almost identical genese on different chromosomes. > **[Chimpanzee genome project](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimpanzee_genome_project)** > > The Chimpanzee Genome Project was an effort to determine the DNA sequence of the chimpanzee genome. Sequencing began in 2005 and by 2013 twenty-four individual chimpanzees had been sequenced. This project was folded into the Great Ape Genome Project. > In 2013 high resolution sequences were published from each of the four recognized chimpanzee subspecies: Central chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes troglodytes, 10 sequences; Western chimpanzee, Pan troglodytes verus, 6 sequences; Nigeria-Cameroon chimpan... ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247/22 "2012-04-19T16:57:44Z")
> [@Bytegeist](#): > > Out of curiosity, is it known whether we’ve lost 2, or chimps have gained 2? > > Alternatively, perhaps our common ancestor had 47 chromosomes, and both species changed? We’ve lost two. They come in pairs. An odd chromosome presents severe developmental issues, assuming the child survives. [And maybe 44 is the future](http://www.thetech.org/genetics/news.php?id=124). ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247/23 "2012-04-19T17:48:43Z")
> [@](#): > > Is a person’s 1,000,000th cousin even a human being? Heck, I have a second cousin who may not qualify. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247/24 "2012-04-19T19:15:56Z")
Also note that a human and chimp cousins would probably be some large number of times removed, since chimps have shorter generations than we do. So it’s been more generations to get from the common ancestor to the chimp than from the common ancestor to us. ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2012, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247/25 "2012-04-19T22:34:17Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > Also note that a human and chimp cousins would probably be some large number of times removed, since chimps have shorter generations than we do. So it’s been more generations to get from the common ancestor to the chimp than from the common ancestor to us. A bit like Arwen and Aragorn. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247/26 "2012-04-20T06:23:53Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > We’ve lost two. They come in pairs. An odd chromosome presents severe developmental issues, assuming the child survives. > > [And maybe 44 is the future](http://www.thetech.org/genetics/news.php?id=124). Lost is not the best word, as they’ve combined somewhat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-a-persons-1-000-000th-cousin-even-a-human-being/619247.md?page=1)