Why people aren’t half a banana... (... and why apples can, after all, be compared with pears)

Just how similar are we actually to a banana, a mouse or a monkey, and why do we keep hearing such claims? This talk takes a closer look at well-known ‘genetic fun facts’ and explains in an accessible way what lies behind them. It soon becomes clear that behind every seemingly simple percentage figure lies an exciting mix of biology, data and clever methods.

We’ll start with a brief journey through the history of genomics: from the first decoding of the human genome to today’s technologies, which make DNA much quicker and cheaper to sequence. No technical details – just a sense of how rapidly this field has developed and why that matters when comparing organisms.

Building on this, we’ll look at how researchers actually determine which genes two species share, what ‘similarity’ means in biology, and why percentages often confuse more than they explain. Instead of complicated technical terms, we’ll use clear examples: what information is contained in DNA sequences? What do they reveal about kinship? And why is it not at all easy to reduce biological diversity to a single figure?

The lecture demonstrates that meaningful comparisons between organisms are possible – but only if you ask the right questions. It explains why some popular claims about genetic closeness are misleading, and how modern bioinformatics helps to paint a more realistic picture: one that shows which genes and functions have actually been preserved over millions of years, and what that tells us about ourselves and other living beings.

The event is aimed at anyone curious about how science works behind the headlines. It offers an accessible insight into the world of genes and data and, whilst doing so, sheds light on what the truth really is about that whole banana business.