Fossil records a term used by paleontologists to refer to the total number of fossils that have been

discovered, as well as to the information derived from them.The fossil record provides
snapshots of the past that, when assembled, illustrate a panorama of evolutionary change over the
past four billion years.In the 17th century, Nicholas Steno shook the world of science, noting
the similarity between shark teeth and the rocks commonly known as "tongue stones." This was
our first understanding that fossils were a record of past life.Two centuries later, Mary Ann
Mantell picked up a tooth, which her husband Gideon thought to be of a large iguana, but it
turned out to be the tooth of a dinosaur, Iguanodon. This discovery sent the powerful message
that many fossils represented forms of life that are no longer with us today.
DNA analysis is DNA profiling is a forensic technique used to identify individuals by
characteristics of their DNA.DNA has been an important discovery for many reasons, a key one
being its relationship to evolutionary theory. By comparing DNA sequences of genes from one
organism to another, we can learn an enormous amount about their relationships. In fact, this
learning goes far beyond what we can learn simply from morphology. At the same time,
scientists are still aware that the DNA document of history, so to speak, is one that has gaps and
is somewhat fragmented. This means that there must be awareness regarding the genetic changes
that occur, otherwise we can become biased regarding how evolution occurred.