How does fossil record support the theory of evolution by natural selection?
Fossils are important evidence for evolution because they show that life on earth was once different from life found on earth today. Paleontologists can determine the age of fossils using methods like radiometric dating and categorize them to determine the evolutionary relationships between organisms.
How does the fossil record relate to evolution?
The fossil record Fossils of the simplest organisms are found in the oldest rocks, and fossils of more complex organisms in the newest rocks. This supports Darwin’s theory of evolution, which states that simple life forms gradually evolved into more complex ones. Evidence for early forms of life comes from fossils.
Is fossil record natural selection?
As one of the founders of the “modern synthesis” of evolution, paleontologist George Gaylord Simpson argued that the fossil record supports Darwin’s theory that natural selection acting on random variation in a population is the driving force behind evolution.
How did Darwin use fossil record?
Observing fossils similar to bones of the modern tucutucu or tuco-tuco, a small rodent of the genus Ctenomys, Darwin realized that species were replaced in time by similar species. Darwin wondered, if extinction of species occurs, as testimonied by the fossil record, how did the planet got repopulated over time?
What is the most complete fossil record?
The child of Turkana, an almost complete fossil – just missing hands and feet- 1.6 million years old, from what some scientists call Homo ergaster, an early African population of Homo erectus, is considered the most complete skeleton of a prehistoric human ever found.
Will the fossil record ever be complete?
Today, through over a century of study of both the Earth’s surface and the completeness of the fossil record, paleontologists have been able to determine that while the record will never be complete and always has preservation biases, we often have more than enough evidence to draw strong evolutionary conclusions about …
What was significant about the fossil Darwin found?
Fossils proved to Darwin that species can evolve. The term fitness to refer to an organism’s ability to outrun its hunters. Darwin published his findings soon after returning to England from the voyage of the Beagle. During his journey aboard the Beagle, Darwin found fossils from the seas in the mountains.
