7.6 Evidence of Evolution

Describe the types of data that provide evidence for evolution.

• Evolution is supported by scientific evidence from many disciplines (geographical, geological, physical, biochemical, and mathematical data).

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.