A cladogram shows the evolutionary relationship between humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas. The cladogram currently shows humans and chimpanzees with a more recent common ancestor compared to gorillas. Which piece of evidence, if true, would most likely weaken this hypothesis?(1 point)

Question

Responses

Amino acid analysis of the cytochrome c protein shows significant differences in the sequence of amino acids between humans and gorillas.
Amino acid analysis of the cytochrome c protein shows significant differences in the sequence of amino acids between humans and gorillas.

DNA sequence analysis of the hemoglobin alpha gene shows that humans and chimpanzees have a more similar sequence to each other than they do to the gorilla’s DNA sequence.
DNA sequence analysis of the hemoglobin alpha gene shows that humans and chimpanzees have a more similar sequence to each other than they do to the gorilla’s DNA sequence.

The cells of the eye in embryos of gorillas and humans follow a similar pattern of development while chimpanzee embryos are different.
The cells of the eye in embryos of gorillas and humans follow a similar pattern of development while chimpanzee embryos are different.

Fossils of humans appear in deeper sedimentary rock layers compared to fossils of chimpanzees.

Answer 1

To weaken the hypothesis that humans and chimpanzees share a more recent common ancestor compared to gorillas, the most relevant evidence would be:

The cells of the eye in embryos of gorillas and humans follow a similar pattern of development while chimpanzee embryos are different.

This piece of evidence suggests that humans and gorillas may share a more recent common developmental lineage than humans and chimpanzees, which contradicts the initial hypothesis presented by the cladogram. The other options either support the current understanding or do not provide relevant information regarding the relationships depicted in the cladogram.