Kylar Hanley

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

Evidence Example: Drug Resistant HIV

Description: viruses that are resistant to drugs are examples of natural selection. It
becomes more of a problem when the virus reproduces rapidly because it means
individuals that are resistant to the drug can increase fast. Scientists have
developed many medicines for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), but with time
it leads to resistance. This is because the individuals that survive the doses pass on
their alleles for resistance, which increases the amount of resistant viruses.
Justification:
Scientists made 3TC to interfere with an enzyme that HIV uses to replicate a DNA
version of it RNA to insert into the humans DNA. The 3TC is similar to cytosinebearing nucleotide and the enzyme HIV uses to infect the host picks up 3TC and
inserts it into the DNA. AS a result HIV reproduction is stopped. The 3TC resistant
varieties of HIV have different versions of the enzyme that are able to distinguish
between the medicine and the actual nucleotide. Because the 3TC adds an
advantage, the environment favors the survival of resistant viruses.
Source:
Campbell, Neil A., Jane B. Reece, Lisa A. Urry, Michael L. Cain, Steven A. Wasserman,
Peter V. Minorsky, and Robert B. Jackson. AP Edition Biology. New York:
Benjamin/Cummings, 2008. Print.

Evidence Example: Influenza

Description: Viruses can evolve by mutating and natural selection. Because of
changes in the genetic code of the original flu, there has been a product of several
flu variations. There are three types of influenza viruses: A, B and C. The winter
epidemics are caused by Human Influenza A and B. Influenza C causes respiratory
sickness, but doesnt cause epidemics. There are even various strains and subtypes
of influenza.
Justification: The way the virus changes is called antigenic drift. Its a slow change
over time during replication and it creates similar viruses. These changes build up
after time and the virus isnt recognizable to the body. This is why people get the flu
more than once and why flu vaccinations have to be re-examined yearly.
Website:
"How the Flu Virus Can Change: Drift and Shift." Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19 Aug. 2014. Web. 18
Sept. 2015.
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/change.htm
Evidence Example: mitochondria and chloroplasts
Description: Endosymbiotic Theory proposes that eukaryote cells have evolved from
symbiotic relationship between prokaryotes. Scientists studied structures of the cell,
the mitochondria and the chloroplasts. Scientists found that it looked like bacteria.
Chloroplasts and mitochondria are considered to have evolved from aerobic
bacteria.
Justification: There are a few pieces of evidence that support the theory. For
example, both mitochondria and chloroplasts can only come from preexisting
mitochondria and chloroplasts. Both of these structures, like bacteria, divide by
binary fission. They both have circular DNA and have double layer membranes.
They also can make their own proteins.
Website:
"Endosymbiosis and The Origin of Eukaryotes." Endosymbiosis and The Origin of
Eukaryotes. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/E/Endosymbiosis.html

"Molecular Biology: Evidence for Evolution." Molecular Biology: Evidence for

Evolution. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Sept. 2015.
http://phylointelligence.com/chemistry.html