molecular clock

noun

1. the changes in the amino acid sequences of proteins that take place during evolution and speciation, and from which the dates of branchings of taxonomic groups can be deduced.

Example Sentences

Based on genetic data calibrated by fossils, the researchers performed "molecular clock analyses."

From Science Daily

"This deep dive into the phylogenomic framework and our molecular clock unveiled Klebsormidiophyceae's ancient ancestor -- a multicellular entity thriving millions of years ago whose descendants began to split into three distinct branches over 800 million years ago," says Maaike Bierenbroodspot, PhD researcher in Applied Bioinformatics, University of Göttingen.

From Science Daily

Using the estimated mutation rates of the bovine virus and OC43, they created a molecular clock and calculated that the two viruses shared a common ancestor somewhere around 1890.

From Science Magazine

Furthermore, the researchers were also able to determine when individual gene transfers took place in the evolutionary history of the genes by comparing previous studies that utilized the so-called molecular clock technique that takes into account the DNA mutation rate and estimates the timeline for the gene evolution.

From Science Daily

"We showed this epigenetic clock was more accurate at dating a recently diverged North American population of A. thaliana, approximately 140 years old, compared to a molecular clock using DNA mutations of the same individuals," Yao said.

From Science Daily