DNA sequences in many human genes are very similar to the sequences of corresponding genes in chimpanzees. The most likely explanation for this result is that a. humans and chimpanzees share a relatively recent common ancestor. b. humans evolved from chimpanzees. c. chimpanzees evolved from humans. d. convergent evolution led to the DNA similarities.

Key Concepts

Common Ancestry

Common ancestry refers to the idea that different species share a common ancestor from which they have diverged over time. In the context of humans and chimpanzees, genetic similarities suggest that both species evolved from a shared ancestor that lived relatively recently in evolutionary terms, leading to the similarities observed in their DNA sequences.

Evolutionary Theory

Evolutionary theory explains how species change over time through processes such as natural selection, genetic drift, and mutation. This theory supports the idea that humans and chimpanzees did not evolve from one another but rather from a common ancestor, which accounts for the genetic similarities between the two species.

Convergent Evolution

Convergent evolution occurs when unrelated species develop similar traits or genetic sequences due to similar environmental pressures, rather than from a common ancestor. While this concept explains some similarities in traits across species, the genetic similarities between humans and chimpanzees are better explained by their shared ancestry rather than convergent evolution.