Question

"Lonesome George's Genome Offers Clues to Long Life"%0D%0Aby Vicky Stein%0D%0A%0D%0ALonesome George, a wizened Galapagos giant tortoise, was the last of his kind. When a researcher spotted the nearly five-foot-long reptile roaming Pinta Island in 1971, his species had been thought extinct for decades. During the 40 years that followed — until his death in 2012 — Lonesome George was believed to be the only Pinta giant tortoise on the planet.%0D%0A%0D%0ANow, researchers are using the iconic tortoise’s genetic material along with DNA from another long-lived turtle, the Aldabra giant tortoise, to better understand what it takes to live a long life.%0D%0A%0D%0AIn a new study published Monday in Nature Ecology and Evolution, the researchers sequenced Lonesome George and his fellow giant tortoises’ genes to compare the common genetic links among other long-living animals — such as naked mole rats, bats, some species of whales and humans.%0D%0A%0D%0A1 of 7%0D%0AQuestion%0D%0AUse the article to answer the question.%0D%0A%0D%0AWhich sentence from later in the text best helps develop the idea expressed in paragraph 2?%0D%0A%0D%0A(1 point)%0D%0AResponses%0D%0A%0D%0AThanks to this analysis, the researchers were able to narrow down their original list of 3,000 genes to 43 specific sequences that might have contributed to Lonesome George’s long, disease-free life.%0D%0AThanks to this analysis, the researchers were able to narrow down their original list of 3,000 genes to 43 specific sequences that might have contributed to Lonesome George’s long, disease-free life.%0D%0A%0D%0ATheir long, slow existence “has been key to their survival — from a time of overexploitation to a time of greater enlightenment and conservation,” she wrote in an email.%0D%0ATheir long, slow existence “has been key to their survival — from a time of overexploitation to a time of greater enlightenment and conservation,” she wrote in an email.%0D%0A%0D%0ALonesome George was a conservation icon, Caccone said, but a conservation icon that can also provide insights into human health and aging.%0D%0ALonesome George was a conservation icon, Caccone said, but a conservation icon that can also provide insights into human health and aging.%0D%0A%0D%0ABy targeting more than 3,000 genes of interest, the researchers could tease out the variations between humans and tortoises.

Answer 1

The sentence that best helps develop the idea expressed in paragraph 2 is:

"Thanks to this analysis, the researchers were able to narrow down their original list of 3,000 genes to 43 specific sequences that might have contributed to Lonesome George’s long, disease-free life."

This sentence provides a direct connection to the researchers' efforts to understand longevity through genetic analysis, as mentioned in the second paragraph.