How is DNA used as evidence for evolution?

Answer 1

All species have the same genetic code.

Answer 2

Think of it this way. We can use DNA to determine the relationships among a family (fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, etc). This works because DNA holds clues to the ancestors of the organism it is in. So we can use DNA to determine how long ago two different species, or even families, etc had the same ancestor. So it's just like a regular DNA test, but scientists look at the relationship between species, not just individuals.

Answer 3

DNA is used as evidence for evolution because it can provide information about the genetic relationships between species. By comparing the DNA sequences of different organisms, scientists can determine similarities and differences, which can help to establish evolutionary relationships. This molecular evidence supports the theory of common ancestry and allows researchers to trace the evolution of species over time.

Answer 4

DNA is a long strand of nucleotides which form the genes that make up chromosomes. Scientists compare DNA from living organisms to identify similarities among species. The best explanation for many of the similarities we find is evolutionary common ancestry.

For example, the L-gulonolactone oxidase (GULO) gene is broken in both humans and old world primates. Evolution explains why the break is similar between us and all other platyrhinne, whereas in almost all other mammals the gene works just fine. The gene broke in some early primate ancestor, and because our diet has long been rich in ascorbic acid, this defect was never selected against, but instead became inherited among all descendant species.

Answer 5

All species use the same genetic code - A, T, C and G, the four bases used as ´letters´ in the genetic ´book´. This couldn´t have come to be independently, there was a single ancestor who passed the code on to all of us alive today through our ancestors tracing back to the first one.

Also DNA mutates over time, changing its code so it can code for different things in the plan of an organism. It does so slightly, so all species that ever existed slowly morphed into eachother. In the grand sweep of it, fish morphed into amphibians, amphibians into reptiles and so on. This didn´t happen between individuals - a fish didn´t give birth to an amphibian. It happened very slowly, and all thanks to the slow, slight mutation of DNA over time.

Answer 6

banders are provided by dna