Studying fossils helps us understand the history of life on Earth in some important ways:
Timeline of Life: Fossils are often found in layers of rock. The deeper you go, the older the fossils tend to be. Scientists use a timeline called the geological time scale to divide the Earth's history into big chunks. For example, the Paleozoic period was around 541 to 252 million years ago, and the Mesozoic period was from about 252 to 66 million years ago.
Fossils Showing Change: Some fossils, like Archaeopteryx, show both dinosaur and bird features. These fossils help us see how living things change over time. Around 95% of all species that ever lived on Earth are now gone, giving us a clearer picture of how life has evolved.
Patterns of Evolution: The fossil record helps scientists track how different species have changed. For example, when we look at horse evolution, we see a change from small animals that lived in forests to the big grass-eating horses we see today.
Where Fossils Are Found: Fossils also show where different species lived around the world. This supports ideas about how continents have moved and how different environments can cause similar kinds of changes in unrelated species.
Studying fossils helps us understand the history of life on Earth in some important ways:
Timeline of Life: Fossils are often found in layers of rock. The deeper you go, the older the fossils tend to be. Scientists use a timeline called the geological time scale to divide the Earth's history into big chunks. For example, the Paleozoic period was around 541 to 252 million years ago, and the Mesozoic period was from about 252 to 66 million years ago.
Fossils Showing Change: Some fossils, like Archaeopteryx, show both dinosaur and bird features. These fossils help us see how living things change over time. Around 95% of all species that ever lived on Earth are now gone, giving us a clearer picture of how life has evolved.
Patterns of Evolution: The fossil record helps scientists track how different species have changed. For example, when we look at horse evolution, we see a change from small animals that lived in forests to the big grass-eating horses we see today.
Where Fossils Are Found: Fossils also show where different species lived around the world. This supports ideas about how continents have moved and how different environments can cause similar kinds of changes in unrelated species.