Fragments of DNA have been extracted from the remnants of extinct wooly mammoths, amplified, and sequenced. These can now be used to
A)introduce into relatives, such as elephants, certain mammoth traits.
B)clone live wooly mammoths.
C)study the relationships among wooly mammoths and other wool-producers.
D)understand the evolutionary relationships among members of related taxa.
E)appreciate the reasons why mammoths went extinct

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The fragments of DNA extracted from extinct wooly mammoths can be used to understand the evolutionary relationships among members of related taxa. This is because DNA provides information about the genetic makeup of an organism, and by comparing the DNA sequences of different species, scientists can infer how closely related they are and how they evolved over time. However, it is not currently possible to introduce mammoth traits into living relatives or clone live wooly mammoths using this DNA. The DNA can also inform our understanding of why mammoths went extinct, but this is not the primary purpose of using the DNA. Studying the relationships among wooly mammoths and other wool-producers is a specific example of using the DNA to understand evolutionary relationships, and thus falls under the broader purpose of choice D.

Fragments of DNA Have Been Extracted from the Remnants of Extinct