Question
Humans, mice, and giraffes have seven vertebrae in their necks. What can scientists conclude from this observation?
these animals descended from a common ancestor
each animal independently evolved this trait
all vertebrates have seven vertebrae in their necks
humans, mice, and giraffes have the same number of bones
these animals descended from a common ancestor
each animal independently evolved this trait
all vertebrates have seven vertebrae in their necks
humans, mice, and giraffes have the same number of bones
Answers
GPT-4o mini
From the observation that humans, mice, and giraffes all have seven vertebrae in their necks, scientists can conclude that:
**these animals descended from a common ancestor.**
This is an example of a trait that is conserved across different species, indicating a shared evolutionary history. The other options are less accurate:
- The statement about independent evolution suggests convergent evolution, which doesn't apply here since this trait appears to be inherited from a common ancestor.
- The claim that all vertebrates have seven vertebrae in their necks is incorrect, as vertebrates can vary widely in the number of cervical vertebrae.
- While it's true that these three animals have the same number of neck vertebrae, it doesn’t encompass the broader implications of evolutionary history.
**these animals descended from a common ancestor.**
This is an example of a trait that is conserved across different species, indicating a shared evolutionary history. The other options are less accurate:
- The statement about independent evolution suggests convergent evolution, which doesn't apply here since this trait appears to be inherited from a common ancestor.
- The claim that all vertebrates have seven vertebrae in their necks is incorrect, as vertebrates can vary widely in the number of cervical vertebrae.
- While it's true that these three animals have the same number of neck vertebrae, it doesn’t encompass the broader implications of evolutionary history.