Using the following amino acid sequences obtained from different species of apes, construct a phylogenetic tree of the apes.

A 9-bp deletion in the mitochondrial genome between the gene for cytochrome oxidase subunit II and the gene for tRNAᴸʸˢ is a common polymorphism among Polynesians and also in a population of Taiwanese natives. The frequency of the polymorphism varies between populations: The highest frequency is seen in the Maoris of New Zealand (98%), lower levels are seen in eastern Polynesia (80%) and western Polynesia (89%), and the lowest level is seen in the Taiwanese population. What do these frequencies tell us about the settlement of the Pacific by the ancestors of the present-day Polynesians?

When the human genome is examined, the chromosomes appear to have undergone only minimal rearrangement in the 100 million years since the last common ancestor of eutherian mammals. However, when individual humans are examined or when the human genome is compared with that of chimpanzees, a large number of small indels and SNPs can be detected. How are these observations reconciled?

The mtDNA sequence of Neanderthals is more similar to that of modern humans than to that of Denisovans. However, analyses of nuclear DNA clearly indicate that Neandertals and Denisovans share a more recent common ancestor than either of these hominins shares with modern humans. Propose a hypothesis to resolve the discrepancy between the mtDNA and the nuclear genome.

If you were to compare your genome sequence with that of your parents, how would it differ? If you were to compare your genome sequence with another student's in the class, how would it differ? What additional difference might you see if your genome was compared with that of a sub-Saharan African, or if you are of sub-Saharan African descent, with that of a non-African?

Examine the following figure and answer the following questions.

What characteristics are shared by the mammalian clade and the primate clade? What characteristic distinguishes the primates from other members of the mammalian clade?

Examine the following figure and answer the following questions.

What characteristic is shared by all clades in the figure?

Examine the following figure and answer the following questions.

How many clades are shown in the figure?

Considering the phylogenetic assignment of Plasmodium falciparum, the malarial parasite, to the phylum Apicomplexa, what might you speculate as to whether the parasite is susceptible to aminoglycoside antibiotics?