What can be used as a molecular clock to estimate the time since organisms diverged from a common ancestor?

Question

What can be used as a molecular clock to estimate the time since organisms diverged from a common ancestor?

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

To tackle the question, we first consider what a molecular clock is used for: estimating the time since two lineages shared a common ancestor by comparing accumulated genetic changes.
Option 1: DNA. This is the standard basis for molecular clock analyses because DNA sequences accumulate mutations over time at a roughly clock-like rate in many lineages, allowing us to infer divergence times from observed differences.
Option 2: all types of RNA. This is not accurate as a general rule. While some RNA genes or RNA-based analyses can inform phylogeny, RNA types are not universally used as a single molecular clock across diverse organisms, and the statement overgeneralizes beyond what is standard practice.
Option 3: ATP. Adenosine triphosphate is a molecule involved in energy transfer, not a genetic sequence. It does not provide a lineage-spanning record of mutations needed for timing divergence, so this option is incorrect.
Option 4: Nothing. The assertion that nothing can be used as a molecular clock contradicts the widely used genetic clock concept, and DNA (and sometimes RNA genes) are exactly what scientists rely on for such timing estimates, so this choice is false.
Overall, the reasoning highlights why DNA serves as the primary molecular clock in this context, while the other options miss the key idea or misstate the biology.

What can be used as a molecular clock to estimate the time since organisms diverged from a common ancestor?

View Explanation

Log in for full answers

Similar Questions

In addition to phylogenies, another method for evaluating the amount of time that has passed since living organisms diverged is called a molecular clock. The molecular clock is based on the idea that some genes and gene regions tend to

Molecular clock analysis can provide which of the following:

Molecular clock analysis can provide which of the following:

Molecular clock analysis can provide which of the following:

You find another gene duplication in a natural population. In order to use the molecular clock to find how long ago the gene duplication event happened you count the number of:

(Q014) Based on the molecular clock, how long ago did humans and chimpanzees diverge?

Select the species whose origins would most likely need to be determined by a molecular clock.

More Practical Tools for Students Powered by AI Study Helper

Homework AI Solver

Stylized AI Paper Writer

Plagiarism Checker Assistant

Citation AI Academic Writing Tool

In-Class Translation Assistant

AI Note Generator

AI Quiz Answers

Past Exam Questions from University Test Bank

Smart Practice Assistant

Adaptive Practice

Making Your Study Simpler