What animal has the closest DNA to humans?

In sequencing the genome of the chimpanzee, scientists discovered that the great ape's DNA is 96 percent similar to that of human beings. This prompted many in the scientific community to contend that human beings are truly apes themselves.

While mapping the above-mentioned chimp genome, researchers learned that the number of genetic differences between chimps and humans is 10 times smaller than that between rats and mice.

In the course of their work, researchers also learned that various classes of human and chimp genes, including those related to the transmission of nerve signals and the perception of sound, are changing at a remarkably rapid rate.