EVIDENCES OF

EVOLUTION
Bio I Lab
 Common Descendent
■ It is a concept in evolutionary biology applicable when one specie is the ancestor of two or more species
later in time.
Data for common descendent

Fossil record Comparative anatomy Biochemical comparison

Remains or Comparative anatomy study Study of evolutionary
evidence of of similarities and relationship between
some organisms differences in the anatomy organisms by comparing
that lived long of different species similarities and
ago differences in their genes
and other bio molecules
Vertebrate
forelimbs
Molecular Evidence of Evolution

■ Like structural homologies, similarities between biological molecules can reflect shared
evolutionary ancestry. At the most basic level, all living organisms share:

■ The same genetic material (DNA)

■ The same, or highly similar, genetic codes
■ The same basic process of gene expression (transcription and translation)
Homologous genes

■ Biologists often compare the sequences of related genes found in different species
(often called homologous or orthologous genes) to figure out how those species are
evolutionarily related to one another.
■ The basic idea behind this approach is that two species have the "same" gene because
they inherited it from a common ancestor. For instance, humans, cows, chickens, and
chimpanzees all have a gene that encodes the hormone insulin, because this gene was
already present in their last common ancestor.
Homologous genes…

■ The more DNA differences in homologous genes (or amino acid differences in the
proteins they encode) between two species, the more distantly the species are related.

■ For instance, human and chimpanzee insulin proteins are much more similar (about
98% identical) than human and chicken insulin proteins (about 64% identical),
reflecting that humans and chimpanzees are more closely related than humans and
chickens.
Protein Differences

■ The sequence of amino

acid in cytochrome c, a
carrier of electrons in the
electron transport chain
found in mitochondria and
chloroplasts, has been
determined in a variety of
organisms.
Comparison of Chimpanzee and human classification
Human and Chimpanzee : Comparative Anatomy
■ Human spine exist from the center ; ape spine exist
from rear of skull.

■ Human spine is S shaped; ape spine has a slight curve

■ Human pelvis is bowl-shaped; ape pelvis is longer

and more narrow

■ Human femur angle inward to the knees; ape femurs

angle out a bit

■ Human Knee can support more weight than ape knee

■ Human foot has an arch; ape foot has no arch

CHIMPANZEE AND HUMAN SKULL COMPARISON