Molecular clocks A. take advantage of the fact that all mutations happen at a steady rate. B. take advantage of the fact that all mutations affect the fitness of an organism. C. take advantage of the fact that only neutral mutations do not happen at a steady rate. D. take advantage of known mutation rates to estimate how long ago organisms shared a common ancestor.

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Biology

Lilia Boone

6 April, 10:41

Molecular clocks A. take advantage of the fact that all mutations happen at a steady rate. B. take advantage of the fact that all mutations affect the fitness of an organism. C. take advantage of the fact that only neutral mutations do not happen at a steady rate. D. take advantage of known mutation rates to estimate how long ago organisms shared a common ancestor.

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Hector Shepherd · Answer 1

D. take advantage of known mutation rates to estimate how long ago organisms shared a common ancestor. Molecular biologists know that for millions of years, there is mutation build-up in any stretch of DNA at a reliable rate of occurrence. This allows them to estimate the common ancestor that each lineage have descended from.