Molecular Clocks

Clocks are handy devices that have been around since the 16th century. They consist of two hands: the short hand dictates the arcminute of the day, and the long hand determines the minutes. Although the time of day may differ from country to country, clocks are universal instruments that tick at a constant rate; time is consistent and does not speed up, nor does it slow down. The inconsistent rates of the ticking of the clock, is mavin of the many reasons why the theory of Molecular Clocks is so contr all oversial.
The molecular(a) clock theory, based on the neutral theory, uses the mutations that go across in proteins and DNA to determine when similar species diverged from each different in the evolutionary timeline (Cawley, 1998). In our debate, we will explain how the molecular clock theory is flawed and why it is not affectional as a universal tool to study evolutionary lineages.

The molecular clock hypothesis assumes that the rate of amino acidic or nucleotide substitutions is constant over evolutionary time. However, no gene or protein evolves at a constant rate because the function of a gene is likely to change over that time, particularly when the number of genes in the genome increases from simple organisms to complex ones or when environmental conditions change (Nei, Kumar, 2000).



DNA evolution rates too vary from species to species. For example, research done at the Massey University in cutting Zealand shows that the Tuatera and Arctic Penguins have the highest molecular evolutionary rate compared to opposite physicals such as bears and horses with a much slower molecular evolutionary rates (Mullen 2003). There are also animal species where information on their DNA is very minimal. A modern research project in California, bar-coded bird DNA, studying the differences in the sequences of Marsh Wrens to identify different subspecies. In this process, four new subspecies of Marsh Wrens were discovered (Wade, 2004). This proves that thither are some species out there that have...If you want to get a full essay, order it on our website: Orderessay



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