Download Evidence for Change Across Time

Evidence for Change Across Time
Name
Tape this into your journal… and do not orphan.
Introduction
For the next 2 weeks, you will assume the role of a specialist and work with other specialists to study the evidence that scientists
have accumulated about biological change. As you and your teammates study your data, you will begin to see how combinations of
evidence from several branches of science can support an explanation or scientific theory. Your team of specialists will use this
collection of evidence to develop a project about the theory of evolution, which states that species have developed and diversified
over time from earlier forms. If species have diversified from earlier forms, what information would we need to know they have
changed? What might suggest current species are related to older species?
Goals
To be able to analyze evidence and data to make inferences and use them to support an idea.
To understand the evidence for change across time in populations from the perspective of many fields of science.
To be able to use the fossil record, anatomical, and molecular similarities as evidence to formulate a logical argument for the development of species.
Project Description
Throughout this project you will assume the role of the following scientists: Paleontologist, Physical Anthropologist, Evolutionary
Biologist, and Developmental Biologist. You and your team of four will spend a few days as Paleontologists, a few days as Physical
Anthropologists, etc… and together will conduct research and examine evidence to compile into a PowerPoint presentation
documenting your understanding of the evidence that supports the theory of change across time. You will present to your peers.
Focus Question: How can fossils, anatomical structures, and molecules be used as
evidence for the development of species?
Paleontologist

1. Conduct some web research about the field of paleontology. What do these scientists study? What do they attempt to
answer or explain? What do they actually do in their research? Take a few notes in your journal on this field of science.

2. Examine the strata model (beaker) with three fossil markers (Stratigraphy is what geologists use as an indirect method of
dating rocks and fossils; it is the study of strata/layers on earth). Answer the following questions/tasks in your journal.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.

Draw and color an exact copy of the strata and its markers in your journal.
Which layer of materials is the oldest (has been in the beaker the longest)?
If these strata were layers in the earth’s surface, what inferences might you make about the relationship between the depth of the layer and
the amount of time that has passed?
Consider the locations of the 3 colored markers in your drawing of the strata. Which color would you infer to be the oldest?
Look at the three color-coded fossil pictures and list three similarities (similar traits) between the fossils.
Look at the three color-coded fossil pictures and list three differences between the fossils.
Look at the colored markers in the strata and on the fossil diagrams. What can you infer about their relative ages?
3. Read the following essays and take notes on each. Questions below are guiding questions to address.
a. First Steps: Modern science investigates the initial stages of how fossils form, handout
b. Fossils: Traces of Life Gone By
p. 102
a.
b.
c.
d.
c.
List various ways fossils can be formed.
What parts of the organisms are typically fossilized?
Observe the diagrams on p.103 – and write down one observation.
What can plate tectonics/continental drift tell us about earth’s biological history?
Technologies That Strengthen Fossil Evidence
a.
b.
p. 104
Generally describe how radioactive carbon dating tells us the age of fossils.
Explain the significance of using radioactive carbon dating.

4. Complete the following activities and debriefs: Radioactive Dating/Half Life and the Half Life of M&Ms Lab.

5. Use all the research compiled in the steps above to discuss what the field of Paleontology has taught you. See project
rubric and address rubric points by creating 1-2 slides to teach the class the evidence that living things share common
characteristics but have changed across time. Be sure to include images on your slides to engage your audience.

6. Find a primary resource (scientific journal, magazine, published book, online article from a newspaper, etc) written within
the last decade that discusses new research in the field of Paleontology. Include in your presentation ONE slide that
discusses what the article taught you (4 ideas) and include an image to supplement your list of ideas.
Physical Anthropologist

1. Conduct some web research about the field of physical anthropology. What do these scientists study? What do they
attempt to answer or explain? What do they actually do in their research? Take a few notes in your journal on this field of
science.

2. Complete the Lucy activity in the textbook on p.37 and view TED.com featured video on Selam, the Dikika Baby (we’ll
watch this in class).

3. Carefully observe the Primate Comparisons Handout for similarities and differences in Human, Chimpanzees, and
Mystery bones and a answer the following questions/tasks in your journal:
a. Compare the mystery bones to the human and chimpanzee bones. Make a table (example below) to show whether
each mystery bone is more like the human bone or the chimpanzee bone. Explain how it is more similar.
More like Chimpanzee? How?
b.
Mystery Bone
More like human? How?
Based on your observations, write a hypothesis for how the mystery fossil bones might be related to humans
and/or to chimpanzees.

4. Explore Riddle of the Bones from the PBS website: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/humans/riddle/index.html

5. Observe the hominid skull models. Create a data table using the Hominid timeline provided to you to infer relative
“ages” of each species. Then when all hominids are listed chronologically, collect data on the following features of each
hominid skull. When finished, observe the data for trends.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
Size of lower jaw
Prominence of brow ridges
Slope of face
Width of face
Size of forehead
Volume of brain case
Size of molars
Summarize. Below your data table, summarize the pattern of changes that you observe in hominid skulls from Australopithecus africanus to
Homo sapiens sapiens.

6. Read the following essay and answer the questions that follow.
i. Primates Show Change Across Time
p. 110
i. What evidence did you find in the essay and in your observations of the hominid skulls that indicates
change between early and modern hominids?
ii. What evidence indicates relatedness between early and modern hominids?

7. Use all the research compiled in the steps above to discuss what the field of Physical Anthropology has taught you. See
project rubric and address rubric points by creating 1-2 slides to teach the class the evidence that living things share
common characteristics but have changed across time. Be sure to include images on your slides to engage your audience.

8. Find a primary resource (scientific journal, magazine, published book, online article from a newspaper, etc) written within
the last decade that discusses new research in the field of Physical Anthropology. Include in your presentation ONE slide
that discusses what the article taught you (4 ideas) and include an image to supplement your list of ideas.
Evolutionary Biologist

1. Conduct some web research about the field of evolutionary biology. What do these scientists study? What do they
attempt to answer or explain? What do they actually do in their research? Take a few notes in your journal on this field of
science.

2. Read the essay, Modern Life: Evidence for Evolutionary Change on pg.107 in the text and answer the following questions.
a.
b.
By comparing the anatomy of different organisms, scientists have noted similarities in structure. Patterns of similar characteristics may suggest
what?
Describe the word vestige.
more 
c.
d.
e.
f.
How are goose bumps vestigial in humans?
How do birds use these muscles (goose bumps)?
Can DNA be transferred from one organism to another and be functional? Explain why or why not.
How does this [similar DNA] show relatedness between organisms?

4. Using the handout entitled “Animal Limbs”, observe the three different animal limbs: Chicken, Bat, Human.
a. Choose 2 bones for each animal and explain what you think is their function.
(Write both bone and function in journal). Hint: The function may be vestigial in or two of the organisms.
b. Color the bones based on the letters. For example, all “A” bones will be one color, all “B” bones another color, etc.
c. Write a statement about what you notice in the animal limbs across the different species.
d. Look at the animal limbs and respond in your journal to this question/scenario: If a human was to pick up an
object, what would they use? If a chicken were to pick up an object what would it use? How about a bat? What
does that tell you about homologies (see p.108 in text for elaboration on homology) or homologous structures?

5. Observe the handout showing human vestigial structures.
a. Using the information on the other side of that paper, copy and fill out the following table in your journal for 3 of
the 6 organs: (next page)
Vestigial Organ
Original Purpose
of Organ (described
Why we no longer
need this organ
Another animal’s
use for this organ
or inferred)
1.
2.
3.

6. Conduct outside research on divergent evolution and convergent evolution. Find images to include on your
presentation, to support your explanation.

7. Use all the research compiled in the steps above to discuss what the field of Evolutionary Biology has taught you. See
project rubric and address rubric points by creating 1-2 slides to teach the class the evidence that living things share
common characteristics but have changed across time. Be sure to include images on your slides to engage your audience.

8. Find a primary resource (scientific journal, magazine, published book, online article from a newspaper, etc) written within
the last decade that discusses new research in the field of Evolutionary Biology. Include in your presentation ONE slide that
discusses what the article taught you (4 ideas) and include an image to supplement your list of ideas.
Developmental Biologist
Embryology: Embryology is the branch of developmental biology that focuses on the early development of organisms before they
are born or hatched. During this prebirth or prehatching stage, scientists call the developing organisms embryos. Scientists can
compare the developing embryos of organisms as diverse as fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. They find that the
embryos of these vertebrate animals (animals that have backbones) resemble each other.

1. Understand embryology. See above!

2. Complete the DNA Comparison Activity and note observations in your journal.

3. Complete the Embryology Puzzle and complete debrief in your journal.

4. Complete the Human vs. Zebrafish Development assignment and complete the debrief/analysis in your journal.

5. Use all the research compiled in the steps above to discuss what the field of Developmental Biology has taught you. See
project rubric and address rubric points by creating 1-2 slides to teach the class the evidence that living things share
common characteristics but have changed across time. Be sure to include images on your slides to engage your audience.

6. Find a primary resource (scientific journal, magazine, published book, online article from a newspaper, etc) written within
the last decade that discusses new research in the field of Developmental Biology. Include in your presentation ONE slide
that discusses what the article taught you (4 ideas) and include an image to supplement your list of ideas.
End Products:
 A PowerPoint presentation, 12 slides maximum, teaching the class about the evidence you have examined from
all 4 branches of biology that, using the fossil record, anatomical, and molecular similarities, gives a logical
argument for the development of species over time.
 This will be emailed to [email protected] by the group’s Presentation Manager by 11:59pm on the day it is
due (the night before presentations day).
 A self and peer evaluation (pie chart and comments for individual contributions)
 Notes on peer presentations
How your grade is determined:
 On the day of presentations, you will choose from a figurative “hat” the one topic (branch of science) you will
present to the class. This means that you must submit an entire presentation, but you only present one of the 4
sections of your powerpoint.
 This is a self-directed group project, and therefore will earn a shared grade for the presentation.
 You will complete a self-evaluation and peer-evaluation at the end of the project for both you and your group
members in order to determine final individual project grades.
SCORING RUBRIC
This can be found online, linked to the same day as the project description. Please print out enough for your group members.