EVIDENCES OF EVOLUTION

Evidence from Fossils

Fossils are remains of ancient organisms trapped in rocks, tar pits, frozen in ice or embedded in amber.
The activities and behavior of ancient life forms also left behind fossil traces (such as footprints, dungs,
gastric stones, nests and burrows) which scientists can study.

The records found in the rocks show a gradual evolutionary descent from simpler to more complex life
forms. Paleontologists use the fossils found in rocks to track the evolutionary history of many organisms.

Example: The ancestors of modern horses were short browsers with diet of broad-leaved plants, shrubs
and trees. They had more toes (four in front, three at the back) which prevented them from sinking in
the soft, marshy ground.

As the climate changed to drier conditions, foliage plants were replaced by grass fields. Those with the
characteristics suited for this (tooth structure fit for eating hard, dry grass) survived better. The forced
grazers also became runners (with longer leg bones and lesser toes) to be able run more efficiently in
the hard ground and to escape from predators.

Evidence from Structures

Structures in different organisms can be compared to infer common lineage.

HOMOLOGOUS STRUCTURES are structures with the same set of bones that presumably evolved from a
common ancestor. They appear different and may have varied functions.
ANALOGOUS STRUCTURES are structures that perform the same function but have very different
embryological development or set of structures like bones.

VESTIGIAL STRUCTURES are structures or attributes that have lost most of its ancestral function in more
recent species.

Other vestigial structures in humans include the following: 1. Tail bone/ coccyx 2. Sinuses 3. Wisdom
teeth 4. Muscle in the external ear 5. Erector pili muscles 6. Tonsils 7. Male nipples 8. Palmar grasp
reflex of infants 9. Plica semilunaris in the eyelid
EVIDENCE FROM EMBRYOLOGY

Embryology is the study of the development of an organism from an embryo to its adult form. Common
structures are shared in the embryo stage and disappear by the time the embryo reaches the juvenile or
adult form.

Vertebrates have similarities in their embryo forms such as the pharyngeal gill slits and the post-anal
tail. In aquatic vertebrates, the gill slits become part of the gills and tails are retained while land
vertebrates become covered with skin and some lose the tail in adult forms.

EVIDENCE FROM MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Many organisms have similar molecules of life (RNA, DNA, proteins) that suggest descent from a
common ancestor with modifications. The near universality of the genetic code reflects an evidence of
common ancestry and relatedness and can be inferred from the similarities in the DNA sequences
between and among organisms.

Many organisms have similar molecules of life (RNA, DNA, proteins) that suggest descent from a
common ancestor with modifications. The near universality of the genetic code reflects an evidence of
common ancestry and relatedness and can be inferred from the similarities in the DNA sequences
between and among organisms.

Many organisms have similar molecules of life (RNA, DNA, proteins) that suggest descent from a
common ancestor with modifications. The near universality of the genetic code reflects an evidence of
common ancestry and relatedness and can be inferred from the similarities in the DNA sequences
between and among organisms.

Evidence from Biogeography

Biogeography is the study of geographical distribution of fossils and living organisms. Organisms usually
arise in areas where similar forms already exist. Similar organisms may also be found in different
locations which could mean that the two places were previously connected.