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Mrs. Sintich
AP Biology
18 August 2015
Examples of Evolutionary Evidence: Molecular Biology
Evidence Example: Wooly Mammoths to Asian Elephants
Description: The relationship between wooly mammoths and Asian elephants has been extensively
researched throughout the years. Because some mammoths were well preserved in the Siberian ice, DNA
was easier to collect. A team from the American Museum of Natural History gathered a portion of its
genome-13 million DNA base pairs. It turns out that Asian Elephants descended from wooly mammoths
and Asian elephants are more closely related to the mammoths than African Elephants. The DNA showed
that that the animals had split up and diverged into their own species. Some groups have become so
interested in this that theyve spliced mammoth DNA into elephant cells to recreate the mammoth, deextinction.
Justification: When comparing the genomes of the mammoth and elephant, a group found 33 million
places where million places where the nucleotides were different among the species. However, 1.4 million
genes were similar to each other. The researchers also saw how amino acids helped shape the genes to
help development.
Website:
Woolly Mammoth DNA Reveals Elephant Family Tree." National Geographic. National Geographic
Society, n.d. Web. 17 Sept. 2015
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1220_051220_mammoth_2.html
Arnold, Catherine. "Wooly Mammoth and Asian Elephants: Genetic Sequencing." Nature World News
RSS. N.p., 03 July 2015. Web. 17 Sept. 2015
http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/15469/20150703/wooly-mammoth-asian-elephants-geneticsequencing.htm
Evidence Example: Gray Wolf to Dog
Description: Robert Wayne and Olaf Thalmann were scientists that discovered
evidence saying that dogs possibly started off as Gray Wolves. They analyzed DNA
from several samples; all together they compared 77 dogs from different breeds, 49
modern wolves from Europe and Asia, 4 coyotes. Because modern dogs DNA
matched those of ancient European wolves it hinted that the domestication of dogs
began there. DNA analysis suggests the transition from human to dog happened
130,000 years ago.
Justification: The dog is closely related to the Gray Wolf. Its mitochondrial DNA
difference is only .2%. In contrast, the coyotes mitochondrial DNA differs 4% from
the Gray Wolf.
Website:
"2. Canid Genetics." 2. Canid Genetics. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
http://www2.fiu.edu/~milesk/Genetics.htm
Than, Ker. "New Theory: Hunter-Gatherers Domesticated Dogs From Gray Wolves."
National Geographic. N.p., 14 Nov. 2013. Web.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/131114-europe-dogdomestication-wolves-hunter-gatherers/
"Evolution of the Dog." PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/library/01/5/l_015_02.html