Ninth Class: DNA Strands and Cladograms

In this class, as you can tell form the title, it was all fun and games as we examined hemoglobin DNA strands of humans, chimps, apes, and a mystery common ancestor.  looking at all the similarities between very short strands of all 4 of these DNA samples, we were able to form a cladogram showing evolution between these animals.  The common ancestor was at the very start because, it is in the name...ANCESTOR of the other three.  Next on the cladogram, branching off, was the ape because between the three remaining species it was the most similar to the common ancestor, and was the first to evolve.  After the ape were the chimps on their own branch as well, because they did not directly evolve from apes.  Finally humans fall onto the cladogram also coming off the main branch because they are very similar to chimps, but not directly down on the evolutionary chain form them.  You can see all of this in the HOMEMADE cladogram below.