EvolutionEvidence for Evolution
1.Fossil evidence
–petrified or preserved specimen in things like: ice, amber, sand, clay
•some are extinct
•remains of the
hard parts of organisms
EvolutionEvidence for Evolution
Fossil evidence
•relative dating
–older fossils are found
in the lower layers of
rock while younger
fossils are found in
upper layers of rock
–can be used to figure
out when organisms
lived
EvolutionEvidence for Evolution
Fossil evidence
•radiometric dating
–uses the rate of decaying radioactive isotopes to determine age of fossils
–carbon dating
•looks at the amount of C14 to amount of C12 in a fossil
EvolutionEvidence for Evolution
2.Genetics
•DNA/RNA
•mutations
•gene pool
–entire collection of genes
in a population
EvolutionEvidence for Evolution
3.Comparative Embryology
•embryology- similarities among the young embryos suggest evolution from a common ancestor
EvolutionEvidence for Evolution
4.Comparative Biochemistry
•looking for similarities and differences in specific macromolecules
–antibodies
–hemoglobins
EvolutionEvidence for Evolution5.Anatomy•homologous structures
–structural features with a common origin •analogous structures
–body parts of organisms that do not have a common evolutionary origin but have similar functions
•vestigial structure–a body structure that has no function in a present-day organism but was once “useful” to an ancestor
EvolutionEvidence for EvolutionMore examples•mimicry: structural adaptation that enables one species to resemble another
•camouflage: adaptation that allows a species to blend into their surroundings
•antibiotic resistance
Barreleye fish Macropinna microstoma