Orthologous genes are genes that can be traced back to a common _______ event.

Question

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Orthologous genes are genes that are found in different species and have evolved from a common ancestral gene through speciation events. When two species diverge from a common ancestor, the genes in the ancestral genome are passed down to both species, but changes occur independently in each lineage over time, leading to the evolution of different versions of the same genes in each species. Therefore, orthologous genes can be used to investigate evolutionary relationships between different species. Options A, B, D, and E all involve changes to genes that occur within a single species, and would not result in the development of orthologous genes between different species.

Orthologous Genes Are Genes That Can Be Traced Back to a Common