Question

Imagine that a researcher is comparing the sequence of several protein-coding genes among mice, rabbits, and humans. She finds that, for most of these genes, the rabbit sequences are more similar to the human sequences than are the mouse sequences. What can she deduce?

Answer 1

Answer:

More sequences are conserved between rabbits and humans than between humans and mice.

Explanation:

This would be the deduction that the researcher would most likely make. Humans, mice and other mammals shared a common ancestor approximately 80 million years ago, which means that the genomes of all mammals are reasonably similar. Mice and rabbits are two common mammals that are therefore often used in experimental models. In fact, when it comes to humans and mice, of the 4,000 genes that have been studied so far, less than 10 are found in one species but not in the other.