Write a reflection about your learning in this unit. Your reflection should be at least three sentences. Use the following sentence starters as a guide.
• One thing I didn't know about evidence for evolution was...
• I better understand how scientists are able to trace an organism's evolutionary path because...
• I am not quite sure I understand describe how scientists can understand the process of evolution by analyzing the amino acids in organisms' DNA.
• describe fossil evidence that shows evolution and natural selection have been occurring for billions of years
• explain how animal embryos help scientists better understand how animals evolved and are related to one another
• explain the biological evidence supporting the theory of evolution
One thing I didn't know about evidence for evolution was the concept of vestigial organs, which are structures in organisms that have lost their original function. I learned that these vestigial organs serve as evidence of evolution because they suggest that organisms have evolved from ancestors who used those structures for a specific purpose.
I better understand how scientists are able to trace an organism's evolutionary path because they analyze and compare the structures and characteristics of different organisms. By looking for similarities and differences, scientists can identify patterns and relationships between species, which helps them create a lineage or family tree of organisms.
I am not quite sure I understand how scientists can understand the process of evolution by analyzing the amino acids in organisms' DNA. I would like to learn more about how changes in DNA sequences can provide evidence for common ancestry and how scientists can draw conclusions about the evolutionary history of organisms based on these changes.
Fossil evidence shows evolution and natural selection have been occurring for billions of years. Fossils document the existence of organisms that no longer exist, providing evidence of past life forms and the changes that have occurred over time. By studying fossils, scientists can see how different species have evolved and adapted to new environments.
Animal embryos help scientists better understand how animals evolved and are related to one another because they often show similarities during early developmental stages. These similarities suggest a shared ancestry and provide evidence for evolutionary relationships between different species. By studying the development of animal embryos, scientists can uncover important clues about the evolutionary history of animals.
There is a wide range of biological evidence supporting the theory of evolution. This includes the presence of homologous structures in different species, which suggests a common ancestry. DNA and genetic analysis also provide evidence for evolution, as similarities in DNA sequences between different organisms indicate a shared genetic heritage. Additionally, the observation of natural selection in action, such as the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, further supports the theory of evolution.