Evidence for Evolution
Major Evidence for Evolution
Fossil record
 Homologous structures
 Vestigial structures
 Biochemical evidence
 Embryological development

Charles Darwin

1859 – “Origin of Species”
published
1.
2.


Argued from evidence that species
inhabiting Earth today descended
from ancestral species
Proposed a mechanism for evolution
 Natural Selection
Many scientists helped pave the
way for Darwin’s Theory
Alfred Wallace  same idea;
encouraged Darwin to publish his
work
1. Fossil Record

What does the Fossil Record tell
us about organisms?
Example: Horse
2. Homologous Structures
Homologous Structures
3. Vestigial Structures

Structures that serve no function
but useful structures in earlier
ancestors
 Examples: Ear muscles
 Human tailbone
Vestigial Organs
4. Embryological Development

Embryos of certain species
develop almost identically in
early ages, but differentiate late
in development
Molecular Evidence
DNA