Question

a scientist discovers a new organism that is related to clownfish. what can the scientist discover by using molecular clocks?

• the date that the organism first appeared in the fossil record
• the age of the organism
• the amount of time that the two species have been evolving apart
• the number of years that fish have existed

Explanation:

Molecular clocks are used to estimate the time since two species diverged from a common ancestor. The first option is incorrect as molecular clocks don't relate to fossil record appearance dates. The second option is wrong because they don't determine an organism's age. The fourth option is incorrect as it's not for determining how long fish as a group have existed. The third option matches the use of molecular clocks to find the time two related species (the new organism and clownfish) have been evolving separately.

Answer:

the amount of time that the two species have been evolving apart