New evidence for evolution

Question 1

What did old evidence for evolution rely on?

Answer 1

Similarites in the apperance of living organisms and on fossil evidence

Question 2

How did old evidence of evolution cause problems?

Answer 2

particularly when two species look similar because they evolved in response to similar niches

Question 3

What gives insight to scientists into evolutionary links?

Answer 3

DNA profiling and Proteomics

Question 4

The more differences there are in the DNA…

Answer 4

the longer the time since they had a common ancestor

Question 5

How can we estimate how long ago that a common ancestor lived?

Answer 5

BY using the Mutation Rate as a molecular clock

Question 6

What makes human evolution hard to follow?

Answer 6

Limited fossil evidence

Question 7

How can scientists solve this problem of limited fossil evidence causing it to be difficult to follow along with human evolution?

Answer 7

Scientists can extract DNA from suitable fossils under 100,000 years old, and analyze it using the polymerase chain reaction (which amplifies minute traces of DNA) and DNA profiling

Question 8

What is the three types of lice?

Answer 8

Head lice
Pubic lice
Body lice

Question 9

What does DNA evidence suggest about humans and chimps?

Answer 9

that common ancestors of humans and chimps diverged about 6 million years ago, and the head lice species diverged at the same time

Question 10

What did DNA analysis of the human head louse and body louse show?

Answer 10

This shows that they formed separate species around 70 000 years ago

Question 11

Where does body lice live in?

Answer 11

Body lice live in close-fitting fabric

Question 12

What DNA profiling show about the pubic louse?

Answer 12

DNA profiling shows that the pubic louse is more closely related to the gorilla louse than to other human lice

Question 13

What does the biology journal show about human and gorilla ancestors and what does it suggest?

Answer 13

The biology journal shows that human and gorilla ancestors diverged about 6 million years ago, but that pubic and gorilla lice only diverged about 3 million years ago
This suggests that by then humans lost most of their body hair.

Question 14

What is the explanation about human ancestors and pubic lice?

Answer 14

One explanation is that human ancestors picked up pubic lice from gorillas by using plant bedding that gorillas had slept on

Question 15

What does DNA evidence from the lice suggest?

Answer 15

Overall, DNA evidence from the lice suggests humans had head lice with chimpanzee louse ancestors and pubic louse from gorilla louse ancestors, long before they began wearing woven clothes, and body lice evolved

Question 16

What do scientists use evidence from the DNA analysis of many species for, and what does the process rely on?

Answer 16

Scientists use evidence from the DNA analysis of many species to help build diagrams that model the evolution of species from a common ancestor
The process relies on how data are interpreted using statistics and bioinformatics, including computer analysis

Question 17

Where do scientists look for evidence to help build these diagrams from DNA analysis of species?

Answer 17

from studies based on appearance, behaviour or fossil data as well as the evidence from modern DNA and protein studies

Question 18

What happens when a piece of research produces useful results and conclusions?

Answer 18

When a piece of research produces useful results and conclusions, it is submitted to a scientific journal

Question 19

What happens when an article is submitted?

Answer 19

it goes through a process of peer review during which it is read by a number of experts to see if its reliable

Question 20

Why should a paper provide enough information?

Answer 20

so that scientists can use it to carry out the same or similar investigations, so that conclusions can be validated

Question 21

What happens at scientific conferences?

Answer 21

scientists working in the same field get together to discuss ideas, this will help to promote the development of new techniques in research as well as providing opportunities to challenge the validity of results that are being presented