Human lack of genetic diversity

[Murdstone]

"Unlike our close genetic relatives - chimps - all humans have virtually identical DNA. In fact, one group of chimps can have more genetic diversity than all of the six billion humans alive today."

When humans faced extinction
By Dr David Whitehouse 6/9/2003

What are they talking about when they reference chimps genetic diversity vs humans? Differences in the non protein coding portions of the chromosomes?

 

[UltrafastPED]

Would have to see the paper - does the author explain his calculations?

 

[jim mcnamara]

I think this is what the OP is actually taking about:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=early-human-population-size-genetic-diversity

The hypothesis is genus homo experienced a large die off, and the low genetic diversity of modern humans reflects the small size of the surviving founding population. Founder Effect.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Founder_effect

 

[SW VandeCarr]

The massive eruption of Mt. Toba on the island of Sumatra about 71,000 years ago is thought to be the cause of a genetic bottleneck resulting in a founder effect for a small group of surviving humans. However, I don't know how well accepted this hypothesis is. It seems to require that, to be "founders", the surviving humans were a geographically concentrated (and isolated) interbreeding population.

http://www.bradshawfoundation.com/stanley_ambrose.php