Which of the following is true of proponents of the molecular-clock hypothesis?
A) They believe that most changes in DNA sequences produce clocklike change because they are controlled by drift and mutation.
B) They think the molecular clock is a result of natural selection.
C) They believe an organism's ability to track time is genetically encoded.
D) They use only derived traits in their analysis.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Proponents of the molecular-clock hypothesis believe that most changes in DNA sequences produce clocklike change because they are controlled by drift and mutation. This is because the rate of molecular evolution is assumed to be constant over time, so that the number of changes in a particular stretch of DNA can give an estimate of how long ago particular organisms shared a common ancestor. B, C, and D are not consistent with the molecular-clock hypothesis.

Which of the Following Is True of Proponents of the Molecular-Clock