Recombination Between Two Alu Elements Can Result in Deletions of Chromosome

question 34

Multiple Choice

Recombination between two Alu elements can result in deletions of chromosome segments. In a recent study, researchers compared Alu recombination- mediated deletions of humans and chimpanzees. They identified 492 human- specific deletions of this type. Why is this finding important?

• A) It shows that humans are not as genetically close to chimpanzees as researchers previously thought.
• B) It demonstrates the importance of Alu recombination in shaping genome divergence.
• C) It shows how much the chimpanzee genome has changed since the divergence of these two lineages.
• D) It shows that the time of divergence of the two lineages is much older than was previously thought.
• E) It shows that more deletions have occurred in humans than in chimps.