Question

Read the following statement and justify the same in your own words with the help of suitable examples. 

Study of fossils is an important aspect of study of evolution.

Answer 1

1. Fossils offer palaeontological evidence for the evolutionary process.
2. Due to some natural calamities, the organisms got buried during ancient times.
3. The impressions and remnants of such organisms remain preserved underground. The hot lava also traps some organisms or their impressions. All such formations form fossils.
4. The study of fossils helps the researcher to understand the characteristics of the organisms that existed in the past.
5. The carbon dating method helps in finding out the exact age of the fossil. According to the structure of Earth’s crust, the fossils are obtained at specific depths. 
6. The most recent ones are found on the upper surface, while the oldest are found at the depth. As a result, invertebrate fossils were discovered in the ancient Palaeozoic period. Fossils of reptiles and amphibians were later discovered. Reptiles dominated the Mesozoic era, while mammals were present during the Coenozoic era.
7. In this way, the study of fossils unfolds the evolutionary secrets.