What percentage of the eastern gorilla genome is composed of DNA traces from an ancient ghost population?
Answer
Approximately 3%
Genomic sequencing has revealed evidence of ancient admixture events in eastern gorillas involving an extinct group referred to as a 'ghost population.' This ghost population separated from the common gorilla ancestor more than three million years ago. Subsequent investigation showed that approximately 3% of the modern eastern gorilla genome is composed of DNA inherited from this ancient group. This admixture event is estimated to have taken place roughly 40,000 years ago, drawing a parallel to the historical interbreeding observed between modern humans and archaic hominins like Neanderthals or Denisovans.
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