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The last common ancestor of humans is known to be which of the following?

Correct answer: D. Pan troglodytes

  • A. Homo neanderthalensis
  • B. Lemuroidea
  • C. Dromaeosaurus
  • D. Pan troglodytes

Explanation

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are our closest living relatives. The evolutionary divergence between the human lineage and the Pan lineage, comprising chimpanzees and bonobos, occurred around 7 million years ago. This makes Pan troglodytes the correct answer. The other options, such as Homo neanderthalensis and Lemuroidea, represent distinct branches of the evolutionary tree that do not directly lead to modern humans. Dromaeosaurus is unrelated to the human evolutionary line as it is a dinosaur species.

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Evolution describes heritable change in populations over generations through variation, natural selection and adaptation. Lamarckism explains inheritance of acquired characteristics, while Darwinism explains selection of favourable inherited variations; these historical explanations must not be confused with the modern genetic account of evolutionary change.

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