What Separates Humans from the Animals?

In 1857 the famous anatomist and opponent of Darwin, Richard Owen, claimed to have found a brain structure in humans that was missing in other apes. In his view this set humans apart and justified their classification in a separate genus. T.H. Huxley thought that Owen's claim was based on an artifact of poorly preserved specimens, and in a scientific meeting in 1860, Huxley humiliated Owen by presenting evidence that contradicted him. It turned out that Huxley was right; there was no such distinction in gross brain anatomy.

But humans are different in various ways from other animals, and in a coming series of posts I will highlight some distinguishing genetic features. However, whereas Richard Owen labored to discredit Darwin's hypothesis of common descent, the examples I have chosen support it, as I hope will be clear. These examples are drawn from the scientific literature and I hope that you will find them interesting. Enjoy!

Posts in Series:

1. What Separates Humans from Egg-layers?
2. What Separates Humans from Prosimians?
3. What Separates Humans from New World Monkeys?
4. What Separates Humans from Monkeys? (Resurrection Edition)
5. What Separates Humans from Orangutans?
6. What Separates Humans from Chimpanzees? (Part 1)

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