Editing Animal sexual behaviour (section)

==Other evidence of interspecies sexual activity==
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THIS SECTION IS SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN "INTERSPECIES SEXUAL ACTIVITY" SECTION, IN ORDER TO AVOID CONFUSING TWO ISSUES: ANIMAL SEXUALITY (WHICH IS NOT SO CONTROVERSIAL) AND HUMAN EVOLUTION/HUMAN/CHIMP SEX (WHICH TO SOME PEOPLE IS). 
SEE TALK PAGE.
-->{{main|Humanzee}}
Looking back in history, current research into [[human evolution]] tends to confirm that in some cases, interspecies sexual activity may have been responsible for the evolution of entire new species. Analysis of human and animal [[gene]]s in 2006 provides strong evidence that after [[human]]s had  diverged from other [[ape]]s, interspecies mating nonetheless occurred regularly enough to change certain genes in the new [[gene pool]]:

{{quote|A new comparison of the human and [[chimpanzee|chimp]] [[genome]]s suggests that after the two lineages separated, they may have begun interbreeding. [...] A principal finding is that the [[X chromosome]]s of humans and chimps appear to have [[genetic divergence|diverged]] about 1.2 million years more recently than the other chromosomes.}}

The research suggests that:

{{quote|There were in fact two splits between the human and chimp lineages, with the first being followed by interbreeding between the two populations and then a second split. The suggestion of a hybridization has startled [[paleoanthropology|paleoanthropologists]], who nonetheless are "treating the new genetic data seriously.}}

The ''[[Washington Post]]'' [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/17/AR2006051702158.html comments], "If this theory proves correct, it will mean modern people are descended from something akin to chimp-human hybrids."<ref>[http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/science/18evolve.html?ex=1149307200&en=c50c55c811de69b6&ei=5070 Two Splits Between Human and Chimp Lines Suggested] (Published: May 18, 2006)''</ref>