Humans and mice have similar genomes. In fact, researchers have found thousands of genes that exist in both mice

and humans. What can you conclude about the evolutionary relationship between mice and humans? Do you think

these genetic similarities explain why mice are important test animals for human medical research?

Answer: One can conclude that, if mice and humans have similar genomes, they must have a close ancestor in their phylogenetic tree. Actually, the genome between mice and humans are so similar that only few genes are found in just one of the two at a time.

Being so similar, it is very easy to understand why are mice used for human medical research, since the use of human beings is a practice considered unethical. With a very similar genome, it's possible to see how medication affects the DNA and how can a disease be fought properly. This way, mice in research are considered to be the human test.

mice and humans share virtually the same set of genes

Explanation:

Almost every gene found in one species so far has been found in a closely related form in the other. Of the approximately 4,000 genes that have been studied, less than 10 are found in one species but not in the other.