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DNA Sequencing: An Evolutionary Study

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Molecular techniques such as polymerase chain reaction and DNA sequencing have improved the understanding of relationships between different groups of animals, and mechanisms underlying evolutionary change. The advancement in technology has gradually changed the scientific concepts generated about evolutionary relationships. Techniques such as DNA hybridisation (as shown in the picture below), amino acid sequencing and the analysis of the antibody-antigen reaction between species have shown the similarities of evolved organisms. The new comparison of genetic data from dogs, finches and humans reveals relationships that were once unclear. The comparison showed the likeness in how they form their chromosomes, it is clear that the formation is much like that of humans. When scientists analysed the DNA of the 3 organisms, it was …show more content…

A study was commenced to prove this theory, where the DNA of a human was heated and broken apart and cooled so that it would combine with chimp DNA. It was found that the temperature taken to break the strands was 99% of the original temperature, this tells scientists that chimps and humans have around about the same nucleotides. DNA hybridisation:
DNA hybridisation identifies the similarities between two groups of organisms by comparing their DNA using the following process:
1. 2 Strands of DNA are collected from 2 different species.
2. The strands of DNA are then heated to cause the strands to separate.
3. One strand from each organism is combined together to form a hybrid. However, not all of the bases match up.
4. It is observed that if a high proportion of bases match up, then it is proven that the species are highly similar and more than likely that they came from the same ancestor. If a low proportion of the bases match up then the two species are not

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Jonathan Marks, a professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina, writes in the article “98% Alike?” that molecular anthropology would be very helpful in approaching genetics critically and analytically. Marks elaborates on the topic using a human and a chimpanzee alikeness as an example. He states that even though it easy to tell a human from a chimpanzee based on their physical characteristics it is not that easy on the genetic level. Marks argues that the genetic comparison is misleading because it ignores qualitative differences among genome and that is why molecular anthropology would be more effective.

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Orangutans and humans just look more closely related than humans and chimpanzees. Orangutans Orangutans share ninety-seven percent of the same DNA patterns as humans. What shows of that ninety-seven percent would include 28 unique physical characteristics,like two arms, two legs, and so on. It has been proven that orangutans are super smart they have been ranked number one on the non-human primate list.

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Near the junction between a single ancestral species branching off into two distinctive species, there will undoubtedly be large similarities between the two species. These similarities are expected to diminish over many generations as the two species become reproductively incompatible. However, If we consider the "grey area" that is the time between two strains of a species becoming reproductively distinct, we can why it is so advantageous for distinguishable facial features to arise; distinct facial features serve as a form of genetic authentication that allows identification of individuals with certain genes. These are the exact genotypic traits that must be propagated in a subset of the ancestral species for a budding new species to adapt to a new environment and/or escape the competition for resources from the original ancestral species by developing a niche. Hence, two characterizing features of primates with distinguishable facial features are genetic diversity and capacity for adaptive radiation.

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Indeed, the writer elucidated that the latest findings indicate that we began branching away from the species to which we are most closely related the chimpanzee some 7 million years ago, and that only a series of small modifications spread out over this time has led us to our current state i.e. Homo Sapiens. However long the process may have taken, though, in the end it was nevertheless revolutionary. Question # 2 - Do you think that evolution of humans and

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