fossil articles
What fundamental role do fossils play in understanding evolutionary theory?
What conditions are typically required for an organism's remains to undergo fossilization?
What predictable ordering is observed when studying the succession of life forms in sedimentary rock layers?
What are transitional forms critical for illustrating in macroevolutionary change?
What paleontological observation led to the proposal of the theory of punctuated equilibrium?
In the context of rock dating, what is the purpose of using index fossils?
How do fossils provide a check on estimates derived from molecular biology?
What does finding a fossilized clam in a limestone layer high in a mountain range indicate about the ancient environment?
The interpretation of gaps in the fossil record is a point of focus, especially for whom?
What geological dating method is specifically defined by using the fossils contained within rock layers?
What critical condition must an organism meet immediately after death to have a chance at fossilization?
What type of environment is ideal for the rapid burial necessary for early fossilization?
In the process of permineralization, what happens to the hard parts of the organism?
How does the process of replacement differ from permineralization?
What is the result when an encased organism dissolves completely, leaving behind an empty void shaped like the original?
What chemical transformation leaves behind a thin, dark film of nearly pure carbon for soft-bodied organisms?
In which type of rock are fossils rarely preserved, and why?
What does the Principle of Superposition state regarding undisturbed rock layers?
If a fossil cannot be dated directly, how is its age typically bracketed using absolute dating methods?