[Campbell Biology P.802] Figure 34.52 illustrates fossil evidence of interbreeding. Which of... | Practice Question

Figure 34.52 illustrates fossil evidence of interbreeding. Which of the following correctly identifies a fossil shown and its associated interbreeding evidence?

  • A: Figure 34.52a shows a 90,000-year-old bone fragment from a woman with a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father.
  • B: Figure 34.52b shows a human jawbone found to contain long stretches of Neanderthal DNA.
  • C: The jawbone in Figure 34.52a belonged to a human living 40,000 years ago, indicating a relatively recent Neanderthal ancestor.
  • D: Both fossils shown provide evidence of gene flow exclusively between Homo sapiens and Denisovans.

Explanation

The caption for Figure 34.52 states: ' a This jawbone belonged to a human who lived 40,000 years ago and had a relatively recent Neanderthal ancestor.' This matches option C. Options A, B, and D contain inaccuracies regarding the figure identification, the fossil type, or the exclusive nature of the interbreeding.