What are the six main pieces of evidence supporting evolution give a short description of each.?

Answer 1

Well we have genetic, anatomical, geological, anthropological, paleontological and common sense.

We can look at our DNA and see old useless genes that one served a function but have mutated beyond use by now. We can look at our bodies and see how they are constructed with specialized features and redundant or missing parts. We can look at our history and see how different we are from the people that inhabited ancient Rome. (Slightly but not very, our pinkies are shorter.) We can look at fossils and see a long chain extending into the past. Not just for humans but for all animals and plants too. We can also look at where different types of animals have been found and see their gradual spread or shrink of territories and match them to geological evidence for climate. And, we can just look around and see the basic logic for ourselves in our every day lives. This is by far the easiest but least scientific way.

Answer 2

1. Fossil record: Shows a progression of life forms over time, with older, simpler organisms found in lower rock layers and more complex organisms found in higher layers.
2. Biogeography: Patterns of distribution of species around the world support the idea of common ancestry and evolution of different species in different environments.
3. Comparative anatomy: Similarities in bone structure, organs, and other anatomical features among different species suggest a common evolutionary origin.
4. Comparative embryology: Similarities in embryonic development among different species provide evidence of shared ancestry.
5. Molecular Biology: DNA and protein sequences show similarities and differences that support evolutionary relationships among organisms.
6. Experimental evidence: Laboratory experiments and observations in nature, such as antibiotic resistance in bacteria, provide direct evidence of evolutionary processes in action.

Answer 3

There are much more than four types of evidence for evolution, but there are four major fields it can be derived from, followed by a brief explanation.

Paleontology - the study of fossils and prehistoric life

Evolutionary change is clearly documented in the fossil record. Fossils are well ordered within rock layers, the oldest ones being at the bottom and youngest being at the top. Paleontologists have found transitional forms for many lineages, including humans, showing progression as we move up through the rock layers. A transitional fossil is one that contains anatomical similarities with two groups of organisms. It is possible to see how organisms evolved by arranging their fossils in a chronological sequence.

Biogeography - the study of the geographic distribution of organisms

Data about how species are distributed throughout the world and why they are present or absent in certain areas can provide evidence of common descent and shed light on patterns of speciation. Questions such as: Why are most marsupials concentrated in Australia? Why are organisms that live on islands so different from organisms that live on mainland continents? Why are some organisms endemic to certain regions? Why do animals that live in similar habitats still have fundamental differences? and so on can only be reasonably answered in light of evolution.

Comparative anatomy - the study of how anatomical structures between organisms are similar and different

Comparative anatomy involves things like homologous and analogous structures and also reveals a nested hierarchy among all life on Earth. Taxonomy is based on relationships between organisms and starts with broad groups having fundamental similarities and separates them into smaller groups based on specific differences. The nested hierarchy of organisms shows strong evidence of common descent. Embryology is also part of comparative anatomy. Comparing embryos of different animals shows similarities and relationships.

Genetics - the study of DNA and genetic traits

The study of genetics is only a relatively recent development, yet it has provided some of the most powerful pieces of evidence for evolution. One of the strongest confirmations of common descent comes from the study of gene sequences. Comparative sequence analysis examines the relationship between the DNA sequences of different species. If the hypothesis of common descent is true, then species that share a common ancestor will have inherited that ancestor's DNA sequence and mutations unique to that ancestor. More closely related species will have a greater fraction of identical sequence and more shared substitutions when compared to more distantly-related species. The sequencing of the human genome only happened around 10 years ago, yet it has provided much insight into human evolution and our relatedness with other species. Much more evidence of evolution can be found in genetics that is too much to fit here.

Answer 4

Evidence for Evolution - The Icons of Evolution

The following "evidence for evolution" can be found in any biology textbook in any public school in the United States of America. Accompanying each supposed evidence for evolution is a brief explanation (ex) and the standard criticism (crit).

Evidence for Evolution - Homology:

(ex) Many animals have similar bone structures, giving the superficial appearance of relationship. (crit) Thought to have been evidence for common ancestry until significant advancements were made in biochemistry. Simply put, "Similarity does not imply a genetic relationship." (Dr. Walt Brown, "In the Beginning," 2001, p. 290.)

Evidence for Evolution - Embryology:

(ex) Embryos of different vertebrates look alike in their early stages, giving the superficial appearance of relationship. (crit) Embryos of different vertebrates DO NOT look alike in their early stages. "This idea was fathered by Ernest Haeckel, a German biologist who was so convinced that he had solved the riddle of life's unfolding that he doctored and faked his drawings of embryonic stages to prove his point." (William R. Fix, "The Bone Peddlers: Selling Evolution," 1984, p. 285.) Haeckel was exposed as a fraud in 1874 by Professor Wilhelm His. Nevertheless, Haeckel's fraudulent drawings (or similar representations) remain in high school and college biology textbooks to this day as evidence for evolution.

Evidence for Evolution - Observed Natural Selection

(Survival of the fittest): (ex) Darwin's proposed mechanism for evolutionary change is observed in nature. (crit) Natural selection serves as a means of conservation, not one of creation. It explains survival of a species, not arrival of a species. Here's an illustration: You work in a car factory. Your job is quality control - make sure the cars work like they are supposed to. You kick the tires and slam the doors, drive the cars around, etc. You identify and remove defects (an arbitrary selection with the same final result as natural selection). How long would it take for this selection process to turn one of those cars into an airplane naturally over time? It won't happen. "Natural selection may have a stabilizing effect, but it does not promote speciation [the arrival of a new species]. It is not a creative force as many people have suggested." (Daniel Brooks "A downward Slope to Greater Diversity," Science, Vol. 217, 24 September 1982, p. 1240.)

Besides, while survival of the fittest is observed in nature, it is not absolute. We also observe survival of the weakest and survival of the luckiest. Every infant is the weakest of a species, and yet obviously, some of them survive or there would be no species at all. Similarly, when a whale swims through a school of fish swallowing 80%, the 20% that survived were not the fittest - they were the luckiest. Somehow "survival of the fittest" has become tautology. Only the fittest survive. How do we determine they were the fittest? Because they survived!

Evidence for Evolution - The Fossil Record:

(ex) Supposed "missing links" between distinct kinds of animals which can be extrapolated as transitions between kinds. For example, Archaeopteryx is thought to be a transition between reptiles and birds. (crit) There are no unambiguous transitional fossils. Archaeopteryx was thought to be a transition between reptile and bird because of its teeth and the claws on its wings. The fact is some fossil birds had teeth, and some didn't. Some reptiles have teeth, and some don't. Some mammals have teeth, and some don't. As far as claws on its wings, there are birds living today that have claws on their wings. Nevertheless, they are obviously birds, and no one disputes this. Besides, superficial similarities do not imply genetic relationship. "There is not one such fossil for which one could make a watertight argument. The reason is that statements about ancestry and descent are not applicable in the fossil record." - Colin Patterson, Senior Paleontologist at the British Museum of Natural History and editor of a prestigious scientific journal. Patterson is a well-known expert having an intimate knowledge of the fossil record. (Reference: Colin Patterson, personal communication. Luther Sunderland, "Darwin's Enigma," 1988, p. 89.)

Answer 5

1. Fossil records document a chronology of successive changes over long periods of time observed within a species, thereby demonstrating that the species evolved over time.
2. The anatomy of different species share strikingly common features, and these similar anatomies demonstrate these different species shared a common ancestor.
3. Comparative genetic sequencing among different species reveals identical sections of the genetic sequence, demonstrating these different species shared a common ancestor.
4. Geographical specialization reveals that some animals (the kangaroo, for example) live only in specialized regions, even though they are well adapted to survive in a much larger proportion of the planet. This specialization of regions indicates an evolutionary development unique to that region.

Answer 6

Answer:

Six pieces of evidence for evolution are:

• present observation of evolving animals
• DNA
• fossils
• similar morphology in related species
• milk intolerance in humans
• mathematical modeling

Answer 7

1. Genetics

2.Comparative Anatomy

3.Paleontology

4. Geographical Distribution

5. Observed Natural Selection

6. Speciation

Answer 8

Similar body structures, patterns of early developments, molecular structure, and fossils

Answer 9

no one knows. it has been said that British scientists had discovered three of the five major pieces but the other ones were said a myth.

Answer 10

the peppermint moth example