DNA Evidence/Molecular Evidence
How can genetic sequencing and molecular genetics support human evolution?
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DNA is very important in the study of evolution. The amount of difference in DNA is a test of the difference between one species and another. What this shows is how closely or distantly related they are. In 1975 Mary-Claire King performed an analysis that had a far-reaching impact. She determined that several human and chimpanzee proteins display a 99% agreement in amino acid sequence. This result can be summed up by simply stating that humans are 99% chimpanzee.
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DNA also shows that humans and chimpanzees diverged from a common ancestor species that lived between 8 and 6 million years ago. The last common ancestor of monkeys and apes lived about 25 million years ago. Humans belong to the biological group known as Primates, and are classified with the great apes.
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Neanderthals were humans who went extinct between 20,000 and 30,000 years ago. They were not one unified group. They had spread far enough across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East that they formed regional groups, similar to human tribes.
Anthropologists like Milford Wolpoff, of the University of Michigan, and John Hawks have suggested that the groups of H. sapiens and the Neanderthals formed a new, hybrid human culture. Their theory states that instead of exterminating Neanderthals, H. sapiens had children with them until Neanderthals' genetic uniqueness slowly dissolved into H. sapiens over the generations. This idea is supported by evidence that modern humans carry Neanderthal genes in our DNA.
There is another theory that people believe in. This theory is one that states that H. sapiens may have murdered all of the Neanderthals. Basically, H. sapiens groups replaced their distant cousins, probably by making war on them and taking over their territories.
Anthropologists like Milford Wolpoff, of the University of Michigan, and John Hawks have suggested that the groups of H. sapiens and the Neanderthals formed a new, hybrid human culture. Their theory states that instead of exterminating Neanderthals, H. sapiens had children with them until Neanderthals' genetic uniqueness slowly dissolved into H. sapiens over the generations. This idea is supported by evidence that modern humans carry Neanderthal genes in our DNA.
There is another theory that people believe in. This theory is one that states that H. sapiens may have murdered all of the Neanderthals. Basically, H. sapiens groups replaced their distant cousins, probably by making war on them and taking over their territories.
Mitochondrial DNA definition: It is only a small portion of the DNA in a eukaryotic cell; most of the DNA can be found in the cell nucleus and, in plants, in the chloroplast. In humans, mitochondrial DNA can be assessed as the smallest chromosome coding for 37 genes and containing approximately 16,600 base pairs.
Mitochondrial DNA can be tracked all the way back to our first ancestor because the DNA stays in in our family and lasts forever. The climates pushed the first people out of Africa because it was too hot for them to stay there. They moved from the hot weather to the cooler climates with more trees. Over time their skin color changed over many years due to the amount of UV rays that their skin was receiving. Because of this we now have lighter colored skin which means that we can track our ancestors all the way back to Africa.
Mitochondrial DNA can be tracked all the way back to our first ancestor because the DNA stays in in our family and lasts forever. The climates pushed the first people out of Africa because it was too hot for them to stay there. They moved from the hot weather to the cooler climates with more trees. Over time their skin color changed over many years due to the amount of UV rays that their skin was receiving. Because of this we now have lighter colored skin which means that we can track our ancestors all the way back to Africa.
Works Cited
Dna. Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-closely-related-are-h/>.
Evolutionary family tree with DNA. The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program. Smithsonian Institution, 14 Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics>.
“evolution graph.” Human Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://scienceagainstevolution.org/v4i4f.htm>.
“Homo Neanderthalensis.” Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-neanderthalensis>.
Mitochondrial Dna. Digging Deep. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://www.forensicmag.com>.
Neanderthal man compared to a Homo sapiens man. Imgarcade. Disqus, 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://imgarcade.com/1/neanderthals-vs-humans/>.
Newitz, Annalee. “What Modern Humans Can Learn from the Neanderthals’ Extinction.” Popular Science. N.p., 16 May 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Rana, Dr. Fazale. “The Latest on Human-Chimpanzee Genetic Comparisons.” Reasons To Believe. Reasons to Believe, 15 Nov. 2007. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
“The theory that humans originated in Africa with DNA.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve>.
Dna. Scientific American. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2015. <http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-closely-related-are-h/>.
Evolutionary family tree with DNA. The Smithsonian Institution’s Human Origins Program. Smithsonian Institution, 14 Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/genetics>.
“evolution graph.” Human Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://scienceagainstevolution.org/v4i4f.htm>.
“Homo Neanderthalensis.” Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://humanorigins.si.edu/evidence/human-fossils/species/homo-neanderthalensis>.
Mitochondrial Dna. Digging Deep. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://www.forensicmag.com>.
Neanderthal man compared to a Homo sapiens man. Imgarcade. Disqus, 2015. Web. 25 Feb. 2015. <http://imgarcade.com/1/neanderthals-vs-humans/>.
Newitz, Annalee. “What Modern Humans Can Learn from the Neanderthals’ Extinction.” Popular Science. N.p., 16 May 2013. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
Rana, Dr. Fazale. “The Latest on Human-Chimpanzee Genetic Comparisons.” Reasons To Believe. Reasons to Believe, 15 Nov. 2007. Web. 25 Feb. 2015.
“The theory that humans originated in Africa with DNA.” Wikipedia. Wikipedia, Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitochondrial_Eve>.