Question

How does molecular evidence support evolution?

Answer 1

Molecular evidence in support of evolution:

1. In biology, evolution is the alteration in a species' traits over a number of generations and depends on the method of natural selection.
2. All species are related to one another and change over time, according to the theory of evolution.
3. The structures of life's molecules, like physical features, indicate ancestry with a variation.
4. The near universality of the genetic code, DNA replication, and expression machinery, and DNA as genetic material all point to a common ancestor for all life.
5. Major structural variations in otherwise conservative elements like ribosome components and membrane structures differentiate the three categories physiologically.
6. In general, DNA sequence similarity between groups of organisms shows their relatedness—exactly the pattern expected from descent and diversification from a common ancestor.
7. DNA sequences have also shed light on some of the mechanisms of evolution. It is obvious, for example, that the evolution of novel roles for proteins occurs most commonly after gene duplication events that allow one to have several copies of the same gene.