Gut bacteria co-evolved with animal hosts, offers human evolution clues

< strong > Based on the DNA sequence < /strong > of a moderately conserved gene in all bacteria, researchers have found that bacterial strains diverged and began to evolve separately in the guts of humans and chimpanzees 5 million years ago, and in humans and gorillas 15 million years ago. These dates are similar to when humans and apes evolved into a new species. It may now be possible to determine if this mutually beneficial relationship between gut bacteria and their animal hosts contributed to the formation of a new species. A perspective on the research from NHGRI Senior Investigator Julie Segre, Ph.D., appears in the July 22 issue of < em > Science < /em > . < br / > < img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/HomepageHighlights/~4/rRVEuPKVTSg" height="1" width="1" alt=""/ >

Source: NHGRI Homepage Highlights - July 22, 2016 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Source Type: news