Consider the following: Plasmodium has an unusual organelle called an apicoplast. Recent research has shown that apicoplasts are derived from chloroplasts via secondary endosymbiosis and have a large number of genes related to chloroplast DNA. Glyphosate is one of the most widely used herbicides. It works by poisoning an enzyme located in chloroplasts. Biologists are testing the hypothesis that glyphosate could be used as an antimalarial drug in humans. How are these observations connected?

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the background information. Plasmodium is a genus of parasitic protozoa that causes malaria in humans. It has an unusual organelle called an apicoplast, which is derived from chloroplasts via secondary endosymbiosis and contains genes related to chloroplast DNA.
2. Step 2: Understand the role of glyphosate. Glyphosate is a widely used herbicide that works by poisoning an enzyme located in chloroplasts. This enzyme is essential for the growth and survival of plants.
3. Step 3: Connect the information. Since apicoplasts in Plasmodium are derived from chloroplasts and contain similar genes, it's possible that the enzyme glyphosate targets in chloroplasts is also present in apicoplasts.
4. Step 4: Understand the hypothesis. Biologists are testing the hypothesis that glyphosate could be used as an antimalarial drug. This is based on the assumption that glyphosate could poison the enzyme in apicoplasts, thereby killing Plasmodium.
5. Step 5: Summarize the connection. The observations are connected in that the presence of chloroplast-like organelles in Plasmodium (apicoplasts) could potentially make the parasite susceptible to glyphosate, a herbicide that targets an enzyme in chloroplasts. This forms the basis of the hypothesis that glyphosate could be used as an antimalarial drug.