How DNA Provides

Evidence for Evolution

All living things contain DNA. This molecule, found

within the nuclei of all cells, is the blueprint for all of the
traits an organism shows. It codes for how tall it will be, what
color fur it will have, how many leaves will show up in the
spring, and how resistant it will be to certain diseases. DNA is
arguably the most important molecule in an organism’s body;
it controls all of the traits.
The structure of DNA was discovered in 1953 by a team of
scientists named James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice
Wilkins, and Rosalind Franklin. They determined that DNA
was shaped like a twisted ladder, having rungs that bent around
a central axis. The discovery of the DNA structure is one of the
most important in biology because it allowed scientists to better
understand how the molecule works and what impact it has on
The DNA
living things.
double helix
The structure of DNA is called a double helix. It has a looks like a
backbone made of a sugar called deoxyribose. Attached to that twisted ladder.
are molecules called phosphate groups, and attached to those The nitrogen
bases are held
are special molecules called nitrogen bases. There are four
together by
nitrogen bases in a DNA molecule: adenine, guanine, hydrogen
cytosine, and thymine. These pair together in what are called bonds.
complementary strands. The shape and configuration of each
nitrogen base will allow it to only fit with one of the others;
adenine only pairs with thymine, and cytosine only pairs with
guanine. It is the sequence of the nitrogen bases that
determines what traits an organism will express. The strands
of the DNA helix are held together with weak bonds called
hydrogen bonds. These need to be weak because they are
always breaking apart when DNA copies itself during cell
division. When DNA replicates, the strands separate through
the use of enzymes, and then new, free-floating bases attach
to the exposed ends. Additional enzymes attach these, and
two new strands are created.
DNA analysis provides a lot of support for the theory of
evolution, but how did DNA itself come to be? What caused this
molecule to evolve? The short answer is that scientists do not
know because insufficient evidence exists. However, they

suggests that
hypothesize that DNA evolved from a related molecule called RNA was
RNA. RNA is very similar to DNA in structure; however, it around first
only has one strand and the sugar is called ribose. This and changed
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 How DNA Provides
Evidence for Evolution
into the DNA molecule. This makes sense because there are that makes
some RNAs that assist in the duplication of DNA, so these you unique.
molecules are directly related. This really
Scientists rely heavily on DNA and other molecular supports the
evidence to support the theory of evolution. This is a fairly hypothesis
recent addition to the library of evidence because, remember, that common
Darwin knew nothing of DNA and could only speculate about ancestors exist
inheritance patterns (Darwin and Gregor Mendel, the father for many
of genetics, lived at about the same time). What Darwin did different
know was that offspring look like their parents and certain species.
traits have variations to them. It is these variations that allow When
some organisms to survive while others die. examining
Scientists use several techniques to study DNA. One such other species,
technique is called DNA electrophoresis. This process relies there are many
on the fact that DNA molecules have positively and negatively similarities as
charged ends. By running electrical current through a special well. The DNA
box called an electrophoresis box, the DNA on the gels is of a dog and a
either attracted to or repelled by the electrical current. This wolf is very
causes the DNA to separate out into different banding similar.
patterns. Scientists then can examine these banding patterns However, if
to see what they have in common. the dog DNA
Since the time of Watson and Crick, scientists have been were
able to map many of the nitrogen base sequences that appear compared to
in several organisms. They can extract DNA from living or that of a
extinct species and then compare the number of nitrogen mouse, there
bases that are similar. As one would expect, the more would be
commonalities that exist between the different species’ DNA, fewer
the more closely related they are. similarities.
Let’s look at an example. The closest living relative to What do dogs
humans is the chimpanzee. It turns out, after DNA analysis, and mice have
that human and chimp DNA is 99% similar! Yes, you share in common?
almost all of your DNA with that of a chimpanzee. This Well, they
strongly suggests that humans and chimps share a common both have
backbones,
show similar
patterns of
development,
and are
Humans and chimpanzees share 99% of the same genetic makeup. This
mammals
strongly suggests they have a common ancestor. (have hair and
give milk).
ancestor (otherwise, why would they share so much genetic While there
material?). To carry this a bit further, it has been discovered are many
that every human shares 99.9% of their DNA with other more
humans. This much of it is exactly the same. It is that 0.01% differences,
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 How DNA Provides
Evidence for Evolution
the fact they have some similarities supports common that this
ancestry and evolution. This common ancestor was alive long protein
ago and had traits that were common to both the dog and the appears in so
mouse. many different
The more scientists learn about an organism’s DNA, the organisms is
better they can understand how that organism evolved. By evidence that
comparing DNA sequences of different organisms, they can all living
determine which species are related and which are not. There things are
have been several changes in thought that have occurred due connected.
to newly found evidence. For example, there is a species of However,
bird called the tufted titmouse and another called the since the
blackcapped chickadee. It was originally thought that these amount of
species were close cousins. However, DNA evidence indicates cytochrome c
they are much less related than originally thought. varies between
Another thing that has shown beneficial when connecting organisms, it
molecular evidence and evolution is the presence of a protein allows
called cytochrome c. This protein is found in almost all living scientists to
things, just in varying amounts. It is a protein that is involved establish how
with the process of cellular respiration, the formation of closely related
energy from the breakdown of glucose molecules. Just the fact species are.

Evolution is change over time. In order for it to

happen, there needs to be a change in the environment.
Those individuals that have adaptations that allow them
to survive that change will live and pass on those
adaptations to their children. Those individuals that do
not have the proper adaptations will die. How do these
adaptations arise? Well, there needs to be a change in the
organism’s DNA, called a mutation. When the sequence
of nitrogen bases changes (and these often happen at
random), new proteins are created. These changes in base
structure can occur when certain ones are deleted, added
into the sequence, or rearranged. The new combinations
of nitrogen bases cause the formation of new structures
called amino acids, which will aggregate to form proteins.
These new proteins cause different traits to be expressed.
If those new traits turn out to be beneficial, then the
mutated DNA gets passed on. Over time, this new trait
will be common in the entire population, and evolution
will have happened.
By studying DNA and other molecular evidence,
scientists are able to connect the evolutionary histories of
organisms. When new fossils are found, DNA is collected
from them and placed into the proverbial “Tree of Life”

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 How DNA Provides
Evidence for Evolution
based on the number of similarities it has to that of other
species. The more similarities two organisms have, the
more closely related they are said to be, and the closer
they are in their life histories. If organisms show many
differences in their genetic patterns, then scientists
assume the creatures evolved far apart from each other.
Knowing about DNA has made the process of studying
evolution much more involved, but also much more
exciting. No one ever knows what will be discovered next!

Comprehension Questions:

1. How does DNA provide evidence for common ancestry?

Similarities in genetic sequences between various species found

in DNA provide evidence of shared ancestry. Common genetic
traits that point to a common ancestry are frequently discovered
when scientists analyze the DNA of different organisms.
Researchers can create evolutionary links and reconstruct the
history of species back to a common beginning by analyzing
these similarities and differences.
2. What is a mutation, and how does it relate to evolution?
A mutation is a shift in an organism's DNA sequence. Mutations
can happen on their own or as a result of exposure to outside
substances like chemicals or radiation. Because they add genetic
variety to populations, mutations are important in the context of
evolution. Natural selection uses this variance as a starting point
to help organisms gradually adapt to shifting environmental
conditions. Thus, by promoting genetic diversity and eventually
influencing the traits of species, mutations aid in the process of
evolution.

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