Molecular clock

Molecular clock

By Bingxue Wang

​Which two animals in this table are least related to humans?

​Events known to separate species

Multiple Choice

Which two animals in this table are least related to humans?

• Frog and shark

• Mouse and Horse

Open Ended

Different molecules have different mutation rates. Some higher, some lower.

If you want to study distantly related species (human and banana), would you choose the one with high rate of mutation or lower rate of mutation?

Multiple Choice

Which molecule would you use to study chimp and human?

• High rate of mutation

• Low rate of mutation

Multiple Choice

Mitochondria DNA

• High mutation rate,

  from mother

• Low mutation rate,

  from mother

• High mutation rate, from both parents

• Low mutation rate, from both parents

​What does conservative mean? Refuse to change or change very fast?

Fill in the Blank

Why is rRNA useful for studying more distantly related species?