On Jun. 1, 2023, two international teams announced they have sequenced the genomes of more than 200 nonhuman primates, from palm-size mouse lemurs to 200-kilogram gorillas, they have come up with clues to human health and disease, and to the origin of our species.

The genomes and their analyses, reported today in Science and Science Advances, represent a massive effort involving more than 100 researchers from about 20 countries who braved logistical challenges and bureaucratic gauntlets to collect blood samples from some 800 wild and captive primates. The resulting data show how knowing a primateﾒs genetic diversity could improve the odds of saving highly endangered species.