Question

Why do scientists study proteins to find evidence for evolution

Answer 1

The proteins of different but related species are often evolved from the one protein in the species' common ancestor. To use a fancy word, these are called homologous proteins. By looking at the similarity both of the protein sequence - the actual amino acid sequence - and the sequence in the gene which codes for the protein and comparing them, researchers can make inferences both about how closely related the species are and how important each that protein is to the animal's viability.