Molecular Evidence

Did you know that scientists can determine how animals are related to each other by using molecular evidence?

Molecular evidence helps scientists understand the relationships between species by comparing their DNA and proteins.

The more similar the DNA of two species, the more closely related they are.

For example, humans and chimpanzees share over 98% of their DNA, which suggests we are closely related and evolved from a common ancestor.

Whereas, if two species have many differences in their DNA, it means these species split from a common ancestor a long time ago.

Scientists also examine proteins as molecular evidence. Since DNA controls how proteins are made, studying them can show relationships between species.

For example, a protein that regulates blood sugar is nearly identical in cows and pigs, indicating that they share a more recent common ancestor compared to more distantly related animals like fish or birds.