Question

genghis khan ruled the largest empire in the world, pillaging his way across mongolia and asia in the 13th century. today, 16 million men living in the same region are his descendants. what chromosome(s) would scientists have examined in order to determine that these men are related to genghis khan?

• x
• 7
• y
• both x and y
• 1

Explanation:

The Y chromosome is passed almost unchanged from father to son. Since the question focuses on male descendants of Genghis Khan, examining the Y chromosome allows scientists to trace direct paternal lineage, confirming their relation to him. Autosomes (like 1 or 7) and the X chromosome do not follow this strict paternal inheritance pattern, making the Y chromosome the correct choice.

Answer:

Y