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During development, embryos of multiple groups of animals exhibit similar characteristics, but may change as they grow. This supports the idea that all of today's organisms share a common ancestor.
'An example is bird limbs. Birds are tetrapods, all of which have five-digit limbs, but adult birds have a three-digit limb in its wings. This might appear to be a problem until you examine birds' embryos, and then you will find that this limb develops from a five-digit precursor. Another example is teeth in some toothless whales. Some toothless whales develop teeth as embryos that are absorbed later in embryonic development.
Why should a toothless whale develop teeth that are later absorbed? Why should organisms which are so different as adults have so many similarities as embryos? Why should a bird's three-digit limb develop from a five-digit limb? If life forms developed independently, one would think that their embryonic development would be distinct and reflect what the organism will look like when it is fully developed.'
From "Embryonic Homologies - How Embryonic Homologies Support Evolution"
http://Atheism.about.com/od/evolutionexplained/a/EmbryonicHomologies.htm
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What can embryos tell us about evolution?
Actually yes it can. Embryos, DNA sequences, and fossils amongst others things can help show similarities within species. This can show that those species have similar traits because they evolved from a common ancestor. But those differences show why they are different species and thus evolving.
How do the embryos of different species support the theory of evolution?
The morphology of embryos at various stages, and even the developmental patterns of embryos, show the same pattern of nested hierarchies that we find in morphology, behaviour and genomes, independently confirming common descent, but also teaching us how morphologies could diverge through relatively minor genetic shuffling.
What does similar structures in embryos mean?
the species come from a common ancestor
What is homolugous in evolution?
The bones in the forelegs of your dog or cat are homologous structures to the bones that are in your arms. This show the common ancestry of mammals, recently, and all tetrapods ultimately.
How does comparing the embryos of different organisms support the theory of evolution?
The stages of development of the embryos of certain organisms are extremely similar, a fact that suggests the organisms had common ancestors.
How do embryos demonstrate evolution?
Basically, its the shape of the embryos of vertebrates. If the shape of the embryos are similar, that means they evolved from a common ancestor.More specifically, it's the pattern of nested hierarchies that is found when one compares the embryological developmentof species. Also, developmental atavisms, such as the branchial arches in human embryos, are important clues telling us about our ancestry.
Why does comparative embryology show similarities between organisms that do not appear to be similar as adults?
Comparative embryology is the study of the similarities and differences in the embryos of different species. Similarities in embryos are evidence of common ancestry. All vertebrate embryos, for example, have gill slits and tails. All of the animals except for fish, lose their gills slits by adulthood. Some of them also lose their tail. In humans, the tail is reduced to the tail bone. Thus, similarities organisms share as embryos may be gone by adulthood. This is why it is valuable to compare organisms in the embryonic stage
What can embryos tell us about evolution?
Actually yes it can. Embryos, DNA sequences, and fossils amongst others things can help show similarities within species. This can show that those species have similar traits because they evolved from a common ancestor. But those differences show why they are different species and thus evolving.
What are some artifacts or evidence that you can look at to study common ancestry?
Scientists can study common ancestry through artifacts like fossils, genetic similarities, and anatomical structures in species. Fossils provide evidence of extinct species, genetic similarities show shared ancestry between organisms, and anatomical structures reveal common traits inherited from a common ancestor.
How does comparative anatomy not support evolution?
The comparisons between the anatomies of various organisms show common ancestry which supports evolution.
What do all vertebrate organisms have in common when they are embryos?
pouches
How are vertebrate embryos evidence of evolution?
All vertebrate embryos look roughly the same, showing that they come from a common ancestor.
How do the embryos of different species support the theory of evolution?
The morphology of embryos at various stages, and even the developmental patterns of embryos, show the same pattern of nested hierarchies that we find in morphology, behaviour and genomes, independently confirming common descent, but also teaching us how morphologies could diverge through relatively minor genetic shuffling.
Who are the ancestors of people from Newfoundland?
While there is no one common ancestry, many of them have Irish ancestry.
What is the Strong evidence for the common ancestry of all vertebrates is?
The strong evidence for the common ancestry of all vertebrates is THE SIMILARITY OF THEIR EMBRYOLOGICAL STAGES.
What does similar structures in embryos mean?
the species come from a common ancestor
How do similarities in genes show that humans and yeasts share a common ancestry?
Even though yeasts are single-celled organisms and humans are not they do share genes that would show they have a common ancestry. Some of the housekeeping genes are the same in yeasts and in humans. One of those housekeeping genes that enables energy to be obtained from the breakdown of sugars.
