With biology explain what it means for a section of dna to be considered a molecular clock. be sure to discuss the importance of neutral mutations in this measure of time. be sure to answer this question in paragraph form using complete sentences.

DNA sequences that can be used as molecular clocks need to be gene sequences highly conserved over time. When a sequence is conserved over long periods of time, it means that that sequence is important and that any changes to the sequence that result in changing the protein product can result in major negative consequences for the individual. These kinds of mutations are filtered out by natural selection.
Neutral mutations do not change the DNA sequence in the way that protein they produce is changed, therefore their effect is neutral. These kinds of mutations can stay in the gene and be inherited by the individual's offspring.
There is a precise rate of the occurrence of mutations, so if we count the number of neutral mutations in the same gene in different species we can determine how long ago did they diverge.