"Junk DNA?" The differences between humans and chimps

In this article , a team of  researchers lead by a Georgia Tech Professor of Biology John McDonald at the Georgia Institute of Technology have made the determination that the insertion and deletion of large pieces of DNA near genes are highly variable between humans and chimpanzees and may account for major differences between the two. This was discovered because researchers sequenced their genomes, and were surprised to find their results: the DNA of humans and chimpanzee genes close to identical.  The team verified that the DNA sequence of genes between the two are indeed identical, however there are large gaps in adjacent area of genes that can affect which genes are turned on and which genes are turned off due to insertion or deletion of a sequence that is viral-like. This is called retrotransposons that have been known to comprise close to half of the genomes of both species.  

 I think it is wonderful what we can learn because of the new lab techniques that have been adopted over the past couple of years. Just goes to show you that not even science is permanente and forever.