Challenge #02205-F015: Correcting Memetic Foibles
European Humans have Something around 2 % of DNA from the Neandertaler in them.
Humans share 50 to 80% of their DNA with the Common Banana.
All that separates US from Apes are roughly 1- 5 % genetic differences.
The Aliens learn about these Facts for the first Time.... -- Anon Guest
"A common mistake in early DNA studies is mistaking content for relationships. Some are indicators, like the two percent of DNA that some Humans share with Neanderthals. Or the ninety-eight percent that Humans share with bonobo chimps. Some less knowledgable people take facts like this..." the display showed a picture of a Ladyfinger banana and the text, Humans share 50 to 80% of their DNA with the common banana. "...and wonder if some Humans are more banana than others. Content is not always a direct relationship."
A new image, of a banana tree, attempting to insert itself in the traditional chain of Human evolution. It slid back and forth along the line, surrounding itself with an increasing number of question marks. The audience laughed.
"Of course it's ridiculous to expect that Humans are directly related to bananas. That is ridiculous. What's happened is that the Human genome is made of four nucleotides, as is everything that originated on Earth. Sooner or later, patterns are bound to repeat. It is those patterns that gain the percentage fascination we hear in memetic space. If people counted the nucleotides, Humans would be sharing one hundred percent of their DNA with literally every other living thing on their origin planet."
More laughter.
"Not exactly the most fascinating fact, or even one that can be creatively interpreted. Thus, common memetic space tends to overlook that kind of inconvenience. Which just goes to show that Humans will go out of their way to say something silly, inaccurate, or just plain wrong if it means that something weird will come out of it."
Now there was a meme with one figure asking if some people were up to thirty percent more banana than others.
[Image (c) Can Stock Photo / iDesign]
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