Download Olivia Hale Letter

Dear Mom and Dad,
I am observing the patterns in the fossil records. Once a fossil is found, it
must be determined when it lived. Knowing that can allow paleontologists to have a
better idea of what species inhabited places during ancient history. This gives a
major insight into the past. It can tell what it was like and how these species had to
live from day to day. To do this, there are two different procedures. They are
relative dating and absolute dating. Though they sound similar, they are quite
different. One gives a close estimate of the time a fossil lived and the other gives the
order of when fossils lived.
The first type is relative dating. The name gives a good summary of what
relative dating is. Basically, relative dating gives the relative order fossils lived
things in. This process looks at the fossils location in layers of rock. These layers of
rock are called strata. This enables paleontologists to know what lived before,
during, and after the fossil. Relative dating decides the order of when fossils lived.
But relative dating does not tell the age or time it lived.
The other type is absolute dating. Like relative dating, its name defines what
absolute dating is. This process gives the absolute date the fossil lived in. Absolute
dating is achieved through the radiometric process. The radiometric process selects
a fossil and studies it’s contents. The main element it observes is carbon. It looks for
the amount of decaying material in the fossil. It also looks for the amount of isotope
contains. This tells paleontologists how long these fossils have been underground.
Both of these ways are very useful in finding patterns in the fossil record.
They both tell rough estimates of the time a fossil lived in; in either a date, or in
order. These processes are extremely useful in finding patterns in the fossil record.
One of these patterns is the theory of evolution. In relative dating it shows how
certain species have evolved over time. These species change in order to adapt to
the changing environment and their changing life styles. Absolute dating shows how
long it takes for these species to evolve through comparing dates. There are two
different types of evolution. The first is macroevolution and the second is
microevolution. The difference between the two is the vastness of the change.
Macroevolution involves massive changes that really alter a species. An example of
this change is bone structure. These changes are most likely in response to an
environment change of a change in what the species eats. Microevolution involves
smaller changes that don’t have a high impact on a species. Some examples are fur
color, and others.
There are three different branches of biology that relative and absolute
dating gives information about the fossil pattern. Those three branches are
anatomy, embryology, and biochemistry.
Anatomy is the study of the human body. Through anatomy, these fossils can
be organized into three different categories: vestigial, homologous and analogous.
Vestigial structures are no longer necessary in the organism. An example is how
many whales used to have four legs. Embryology is the study of embryos, or the
starting point of all warm-blooded offspring. The growth process from start to finish
of an embryo to an adult is vastly different. Biochemistry can help identify past
ancestors of people. It uses the biochemistry molecules and compares the amino
acid sequences. These three processes enable the fossil record to be understood.
Love,
Olivia Hale