Question

Vincent Sarich and Allan Wilson estimated that humans diverged from their closest living primate relatives about 5 million years ago. What line of evidence did they use initially?

1) cladistic analysis of DNA sequences from living primates

2) chromosomal banding patterns, fusions, and fissions

3) lradiometric dating of fossils

4) DNA denaturation and re-annealing temperatures

5) reactions between primate serum proteins and antibodies to human serum

Answer 1

Sarich and Wilson initially used DNA denaturation and re-annealing temperatures to estimate that humans and their closest primate relatives diverged approximately 5 million years ago.

Step-by-step explanation:

Vincent Sarich and Allan Wilson used DNA denaturation and re-annealing temperatures as the line of evidence to estimate that humans diverged from their closest living primate relatives about 5 million years ago. By comparing the temperatures at which DNA from humans and other primates separated and came back together (re-annealed), they were able to infer the degree of genetic similarity and thus estimate the time since the last common ancestor. This molecular approach was innovative at the time and has been followed by numerous other genetic studies, such as those using mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and the Y chromosome, to further explore human evolutionary history.