7.6.B—Explain how morphological, biochemical, and geological data provide evidence that organisms have changed over time

Explain how morphological, biochemical, and geological data provide evidence that organisms have changed over time.

• Molecular, morphological, and genetic evidence from extant and extinct organisms adds to our understanding of evolution.
  • i. Fossils can be dated by a variety of methods. These include 1) the age of the r ocks where a fossil is found; 2) the rate of decay of isotopes including carbon-14; and 3) geographical data.
  • ii. Morphological homologies, including vestigial structur es, provide evidence of common ancestry.
• A comparison of DNA nucleotide sequences and protein amino acid sequences provides evidence for evolution and common ancestry.