Molecular clocks are based primarily on rates of
A)neutral mutations.
B)favorable mutations.
C)detrimental mutations.
D)natural selection.
E)horizontal gene transfer.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Molecular clocks are primarily based on rates of neutral mutations, which are changes in DNA sequence that do not affect the function of the protein encoded by that gene. These mutations can accumulate over time and can serve as a measure of the time since the organisms being compared last shared a common ancestor.

Molecular Clocks Are Based Primarily on Rates of