Question

Which of the following best explains a way that a molecular clock can be used?

Answer 1

Answer;

C.) The number of differences in a specific DNA sequence of two species is multiplied by a known mutation rate to determine the number of years of evolution that separate the two species.

Explanation;

• Molecular clocks are used to date origin of species. They are based on the observation that random mutations accumulate in genes at a fairly constant rate .
• Once a mutation rate is determined it can be used to establish dates of divergence of species.
• Molecular clocks can be used in putting a series of evolutionary events into chronological order, by comparing sequences from different species to determine when they last shared a common ancestor, in effect drawing the family tree.

Answer 2

Answer:

C) The number of differences in a

specific DNA sequence of two species is multiplied by a known mutation rate to determine the number of years of

evolution that separate the two species.

Explanation:

The molecular clock is figurative term for a technique that uses the

mutation rate of biomolecules to deduce the time in prehistory when

two or more life forms diverged . The biomolecular data used for

such calculations are usually nucleotide sequences for DNA or

amino acid sequences for proteins. The benchmarks for determining

the mutation rate are often fossil or archaeological dates. The

molecular clock was first tested in 1962 on the hemoglobin protein

variants of various animals, and is commonly used in molecular

evolution to estimate times of speciation or radiation . It is

sometimes called a gene clock or an evolutionary clock.