For many years, scientists believed that red pandas were more closely related to giant pandas than any other species. Which piece of evidence below, if true, would be the strongest support for the hypothesis that red pandas are actually more closely related to racoons?(1 point)

Question

For many years, scientists believed that red pandas were more closely related to giant pandas than any other species. Which piece of evidence below, if true, would be the strongest support for the hypothesis that red pandas are actually more closely related to racoons?(1 point)
Responses

A fossil was discovered that shows similar features to both red pandas and racoons.
A fossil was discovered that shows similar features to both red pandas and racoons.

Red pandas and racoons were found to live in similar ecosystems and use similar resources.
Red pandas and racoons were found to live in similar ecosystems and use similar resources.

Embryo studies show that red pandas and racoons develop a heart in a similar manner.
Embryo studies show that red pandas and racoons develop a heart in a similar manner.

DNA analysis shows that red pandas are more similar to racoons than giant pandas.

GPT-4o mini · Answer

The strongest support for the hypothesis that red pandas are actually more closely related to racoons would be:

DNA analysis shows that red pandas are more similar to racoons than giant pandas.

This piece of evidence provides direct genetic information, which is one of the most reliable methods for determining evolutionary relationships between species.