Evolutionarily Conserved Molecules

question 166

Multiple Choice

Evolutionarily conserved molecules:

• A)are similar in sequence among distantly related organisms.
• B)were likely present in the most recent common ancestor of the organisms possessing them.
• C)likely changed little over time because they serve a vital function.
• D)are molecules in which most mutations are likely to be harmful.
• E)All of these choices are correct.

---

Definitions:

Blood Pressure

A measure of the force that circulating blood exerts against the walls of the arteries.

Cellular Metabolism

The complex set of life-sustaining chemical reactions that take place within cells, involving the processing and energy conversion of nutrients.

Carbon Dioxide

A colorless, odorless gas produced by burning carbon and organic compounds and by respiration, essential to the photosynthesis process in plants.

Oxygen

A chemical element vital to human respiration and the combustion process, symbolized as O.