Question

The fossil record offers direct evidence for common descent because you can ______.

Options

• sometimes find common ancestors

• trace the ancestry of a particular group

• see that the types of fossils change over time

• all of the above

Answer 1

The fossil record offers direct evidence for common descent because you can sometimes find common ancestors, trace the ancestry of a particular group and see that the types of fossils change over time.

Explanation:

1. Sometimes it is possible to find fossils of common ancestors linking different groups.
2. The ancestry of particular groups can be traced through successive fossil forms.
3. The types of fossils found change progressively over geological time, showing a pattern consistent with descent with modification.

Thus, fossils provide multiple lines of direct evidence supporting the evolutionary relationships among organisms.