To determine whether the differences between the human and chimpanzee genome are a result of natural selection or mutation and drift, geneticists compare synonymous and nonsynonymous substitutions. Genes that have evolved because of selection should show what pattern?

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Genes that have evolved due to selection would show fewer nonsynonymous substitutions than synonymous substitutions. This is because nonsynonymous substitutions are changes to the coding sequence that alter the amino acid sequence of the resulting protein, whereas synonymous substitutions do not. Thus, if a gene has evolved due to selection, synonymous substitutions would be favored over nonsynonymous substitutions to maintain the protein's function.

To Determine Whether the Differences Between the Human and Chimpanzee