Humans vs. Chimps

Ben Fry
An image of how the gene FOXP2 differs in humans versus chimps. The gene is believed to be one of the primary differences between our species, as it has been linked to language acquisition. All ~75,000 letters of the gene are shown, however only nine letters (shown with red dots) comprise the only significant (coding) changes in the gene.
This project was originally developed as a commission for a Seed Magazine story about the completion of the chimp genome sequencing project. The image below is an updated version created for the Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Built with Processing.