Evidence for Evolution Notes

1. Geologic

a. Examining earth’s strata (stratigraphy)

b. Plate Tectonics/Continental Drift

2. Fossil

a. Carbon dating (rate of decay for Carbon-14)

b. Comparative morphology (comparing skulls of hominids)

3. Morphological

a. Homologous Structures—consider flipper of whale, wing of bat, and limbs of land animals

b. Vestigial Structures—consider pelvis of snake and/or wrist bone of whale

c. Embryology—embryos of closely related animals look the same

4. Molecular

a. DNA—closely related organisms share very similar DNA (chimp and human DNA are 99.8% identical)

b. Proteins—closely related organisms manufacture the same proteins (all primates make hemoglobin)