Question

Why have monkeys and apes and humans lost the ability to make their own vitamin C?

Answer 1

Monkeys, apes, and humans lost the ability to make their own vitamin C due to a genetic mutation. They lack the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase, which is necessary for synthesizing vitamin C. This mutation occurred because their diet is rich in vitamin C from fruits and plants.

Step-by-step explanation:

Monkeys, apes, and humans lost the ability to make their own vitamin C due to a genetic mutation. Unlike most animals, these primates lack the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase, which is necessary for synthesizing vitamin C. This mutation occurred because these primates consume a diet rich in vitamin C from fruits and plants, and their bodies no longer needed to produce it.

Answer 2

The loss of the ability to synthesize vitamin C, or ascorbic acid, in monkeys, apes, and humans is due to a genetic mutation that occurred in a common ancestor of these primates. This mutation affected the gene responsible for producing the enzyme L-gulonolactone oxidase, which is necessary for the synthesis of vitamin C.

This loss of the ability to produce vitamin C is thought to be the result of dietary changes in these primates' evolutionary history. As their diets diversified and began to include more fruits and other sources of vitamin C, there was likely less evolutionary pressure to maintain the ability to synthesize the vitamin internally. Over time, the mutation became fixed in the primate lineage, leading to the inability to produce vitamin C and the need to obtain it through diet.

This genetic change has persisted in monkeys, apes, and humans, making us dependent on dietary sources of vitamin C. This is why it is important for us to consume fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C to maintain our health.