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Protein Clock Hypothesis

In the protein clock hypothesis developed by Berkeley scientists including A.C. Wilson and Vincent Sarich, differences between key proteins in the cells of different species, or even in members of the same species, are measured on a genetic level to determine how long ago divergence between the species occurred.

Prior to the protein clock hypothesis, researchers believed that hominids and apes diverged from a common ancestor between 20 and 30 million years ago. The protein clock hypothesis redated it to no more than 4 or 5 million years ago.

The protein clock hypothesis is still debated in evolutionary science circles. There is some concern that protein clock measurements are highly dependent on both the particular protein that is selected for evaluation as well as the set of species that are being evaluated. If different proteins can yield very different results when comparing the same species then using changes in protein to measure time since speciation might be a questionable methodology.

Web Resources On Protein Clock Hypothesis

Determining divergence times with a protein clock: update and reevaluation.
Rate of Molecular Evolution

Book Resources On Protein Clock Hypothesis

Protein Evolution by Laszlo Patthy
Tracing Biological Evolution in Protein and Gene Structures by Taniguchi Kogyo Shoreikai

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