A cell's work is carried out by the many different types of molecules it assembles
are especially important because they are involved in a variety of processes, such as cell signaling, immune response,
and enzyme activity

The tasmanian devil, a marsupial carnivore, is facing extinction due to devil facial tumor disease (dftd) which causes bulging cancerous lumps and lesions to erupt around the face and neck — often causing enough deformation to make seeing or eating difficult. dftd has evolved into a contagious cancer, a trait that is unique among cancers. devil mating behavior involves biting around the head and neck, allowing cells from one individual — especially cells from the crumbly dftd tumors — to be transferred to the wounds or face of a new individual. this marsupial was once found across australia, but sea levels rose, isolating the tasmanian population, while the australian population went extinct. what would be an outcome of genetic isolation that is likely to have impacted the spread of dftd? a) reduced territory puts diseased individuals in greater contact with non-diseased ones. b) inbreeding results in less variation in facial features so the cancer is generally fatal. c) genetic isolation has made it difficult for scientists to develop a vaccine against dftd. d) the lack of genetic variation in the immune system of tasmanian devils minimizes resistance to the disease.

How is ribosomal rna useful as a molecular clock? a. a large portion of the dna ring is not vital to structure or function, allowing it to accumulate neutral mutations. b. its rate of mutation increases over time as organisms continue to evolve and differentiate from each other. c. a slow mutation rate makes it useful for determining evolutionary relationships between ancient species. d. it is only found in select organisms, making it easier to compare relationships between species that have it.

Variety of living organisms; includes genetic, species, and ecological types.