Question

A student used the hemoglobin data to conclude that mice and shrews are more closely related than are mice and humans or shrews and humans. Was the student correct?

Answer 1

The student who use the hemoglobin data to conclude that mice and shrews are more closely related than mice and humans or shrew and human is quite correct. Scientists had found a way of determining the evolution histroy of animals by means of the amino acid sequence of their hemoglobin. The higher the number of related amino acids found the closer the relationship between the two organisms. There are a difference of 29 amino acid between man and mouse and a difference of 24 amino acids between human and shrew but only a difference of 5 amino acid between mouse and shrew. This shows that mouse and shrew are closer.