Evidence for Evolution

In science, what are theories?

• Proven facts

• Ideas supported by a large amount of evidence

• Guesses with no evidence

• Laws that never change

What process did Darwin call the removal of less suitable traits from a population?

• Natural selection

• Genetic drift

• Mutation

• Artificial selection

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Darwin believed that natural selection, coupled with changing environments, could result in the evolution of species.

• True

• False

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What is speciation?

• The extinction of species

• The development of new species

• The process of natural selection

• The study of fossils

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What did many people believe in at the time of Darwin’s journey?

• Special creation, the theory that God created each species exactly as they were seen in their present form.

• Evolution by natural selection, the idea that species change over time through adaptation.

• Spontaneous generation, the belief that life arises from non-living matter regularly.

• Uniformitarianism, the concept that geological processes have always operated in the same way.

Why did Darwin keep his ideas to himself during his journey?

• Because saying that species change over time would be considered blasphemy or an insult to the church.

• Because he was not confident in his observations.

• Because he wanted to publish his ideas only after returning home.

• Because he feared criticism from other scientists.

Fossils are the most obvious form of evidence for evolution.

• True

• False

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How did Darwin use fossils to support his theory of evolution?

• He found fossils of ancient forms of modern species and determined from their similarities and differences that species have changed over time.

• He used fossils to prove that all species appeared suddenly and have never changed.

• He believed fossils were unrelated to living organisms and ignored them in his theory.

• He thought fossils were placed in rocks by supernatural forces to test faith.

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What are transition fossils?

• Fossils that show no change over time

• Fossils of species that existed between an ancient and modern form

• Fossils that are only found in one time period

• Fossils that are unrelated to modern species

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Fill in the blank: Scientists assume that species with similar anatomies also have similar _____

• DNA

• habitats

• lifespans

• behaviors

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