Bonobos may be better representation of last common ancestor with humans

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-04/gwu-sbm042817.php

Public Release: 28-Apr-2017
Study: Bonobos may be better representation of last common ancestor with humans
Study examined muscles of bonobos and found they are more closely related to humans than common chimpanzees
George Washington University

A new study examining the muscular system of bonobos provides firsthand evidence that the rare great ape species may be more closely linked, anatomically, to human ancestors than common chimpanzees. Previous research suggested this theory at the molecular level, but this is the first study to compare in detail the anatomy of the three species.

"Bonobo muscles have changed least, which means they are the closest we can get to having a 'living' ancestor," said Bernard Wood, professor of human origins at the GW Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology.

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