Molecular evolution
![](/Images/godic/202502/04/CollapsedtreeLabels-simplified.svg5942.png")
![This hedgehog has no pigmentation due to a genetic mutation.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Hedgehog_with_Albinism5943.jpg")
![Recombination involves the breakage and rejoining of two chromosomes (M and F) to produce two re-arranged chromosomes (C1 and C2).](/Images/godic/202502/04/Chromosomal_Recombination.svg5943.png")
![This chart compares the sequence identity of different lipase proteins throughout the human body. It demonstrates how proteins evolve, keeping some regions conserved while others change dramatically.](/Images/godic/202502/04/Lipase_Sequence_Homology5943.png")
Molecular evolution is the process of change in the sequence composition of cellular molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins across generations. The field of molecular evolution uses principles of evolutionary biology and population genetics to explain patterns in these changes. Major topics in molecular evolution concern the rates and impacts of single nucleotide changes, neutral evolution vs. natural selection, origins of new genes, the genetic nature of complex traits, the genetic basis of speciation, evolution of development, and ways that evolutionary forces influence genomic and phenotypic changes.