Vocabulary
earliest develpopment of life in the womb
What is DNA?
The blueprint of life, instructions for life, found in the nucleus of all cells
What is a fossil?
define embryology
the study of embryos
Why do scientists think birds and dinosaurs are related?
anatomical evidence
define evolution
changes in species over a long period of time
Name a unicellular organism and a multicellular organism that shares DNA
E. coli and elephant
What is a paleontologist?
A scientist who studies ancient life to make connections between the past and present
What other jobs would use embryology?
doctors, geneticists, veterinarians
name an example of a vestigial structure in a human
tailbone
define natural selection
the animals most adapted to environment will continue to survive and pass on traits to offspring
Scientists compare these specific sequences of DNA to determine how closely related two different species are.
genes
define anatomical evidence
when bone or organ structure is similar between species
Why do vertebrates all look very similar during the earliest stages of life?
They most likely share DNA and a common ancestor.
name a vestigial structure in a whale
hip bone
define anatomy
Anatomy is the scientific study of the structure and organization of living things.
Why is DNA evidence for evolution?
The more DNA 2 organisms share, the closer their common ancestor
These are remnants of structures that had a function in an ancestor but are no longer useful, such as the human tailbone or whale pelvic bones.
vestigial structures
Many vertebrate embryos, including humans, chickens, and fish, develop these structures in the neck region, though they may serve different purposes later.
Pharyngeal (Gill) Slits
Why do some species go extinct?
competition, major event, climate change
define common ancestor
a common species from which 1 species originated in the past and then evolved different over time
What does DNA stand for?
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Why do fossils give us evidence for a common ancestor?
If bone structures are similar between 2 species, if gives us evidence that they shared a common ancestor at some point in history.
These are body parts that are similar in structure in different species, like the wing of a bat and the flipper of a whale, suggesting a common ancestor.
Homologous Structures
How do new traits in a population come about?
mutations that are beneficial and passed down to offspring, which helps a species survival