1. Evidence for Evolution

2. I. Fossil Record
Fossils provide an actual record of Earth’s past life-forms give evidence that:
a. Earth is about 4.5 billion
years old.
b. Organisms have inhabited
Earth for most of its history.
c. All organisms living today
share common ancestry with
earlier, simpler life-forms.

4. Australopithecus afarensis

5. II. Anatomy and Development
Comparisons of the anatomy of different organisms reveal basic similarities in body structures, even though the structure’s functions may differ between organisms.
Broken down into the following categories:
a. Vestigial Structures
b. Homologous Structures
c. Embryological Development

6. A) Vestigial Structures
Structures that are found in a modern day organism but serve no particular function because they are either too small or they serve no purpose.
Examples: human tailbone and appendix

7. Limb buds on a python
Whale pelvic bones

8. B) Homologous Structures
Similar anatomical structures that are found in various organisms but have different functions.
Shows a common ancestry
Examples include forelimb anatomy of a penguin, alligator, human, and bat

10. Homologous Body Structures

11. C) Embryological Development
At some time in their development, all vertebrate embryos have a tail, buds that become limbs, and pharyngeal pouches (gill slits).
The tail remains in most adult vertebrates. Only adult fish and immature amphibians retain pharyngeal pouches (which contain their gills).

14. III. Proteins and DNA
As species evolved, changes have become part of their DNA. Therefore, more and more changes in a gene’s sequence should build up over time.
If evolution has taken place, then species descended from a recent common ancestor should have fewer amino acid differences between their proteins than do species that shared a common ancestor in the distant past.
In fact, species that share a common ancestor more recently have few amino acid (make up proteins) sequence differences.

15. DNA Facts
Chimps and humans have a genetic code that is 99% identical to one another.
Humans and gorillas have a genetic code that is 98% identical to one another.
Humans are 99.9% identical to one another. It is that 0.1% that makes us unique individuals.

16. Hemoglobin (blood protein) Analysis Chart