Humans Share About 50% of Their DNA with Bananas
Despite being vastly different organisms, humans and bananas share approximately 50% of their DNA due to common basic cellular functions and evolutionary ancestry.
About this fact
One of the most surprising discoveries in genetics is that humans share about 50% of their DNA with bananas. This might seem impossible given how different we appear, but it reflects the fundamental similarities in basic cellular processes across all life on Earth. Both humans and bananas are complex multicellular organisms that require the same basic biochemical machinery for survival: DNA replication, protein synthesis, cellular respiration, and waste removal. Many of these essential functions are controlled by genes that have been conserved throughout evolution. For perspective, humans share about 99% of their DNA with chimpanzees, 85% with mice, 75% with chickens, and even 25% with wine grapes. This genetic similarity doesn't mean we're closely related to bananas in evolutionary terms - rather, it shows that all life on Earth shares a common ancestor and that certain fundamental biological processes have remained essentially unchanged for billions of years.