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B- Unit 8 Lesson 2
Biological Evolution Evidence
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| amino acids | a collection of 20 molecules that link together to form proteins |
| proteins | large molecules that are encoded by DNA and perform most functions for the cell |
| gene | a sequence of DNA that codes for a protein or nucleic acid, like RNA |
| common ancestry | a real or theoretical species from which two or more recent species evolved |
| last universal common ancestor | a hypothesis presented by Charles Darwin that states that all life on Earth evolved from a single common ancestor billions of years ago |
| phylogenic tree | a tree-like diagram that shows the evolutionary relationships of two or more different species |
| cladogram | a specific type of phylogenic tree in which all evolutionary relationships are linked back to a common ancestor shared by all species in the tree |
| taxonomy | the branch of biology that studies the relationship between organisms in order to classify them into related groups based on shared characteristics |