fossil evidence
Preserved prehistoric proof
Fossil evidence refers to the preserved remains or traces of ancient organisms used to support scientific conclusions about the history of life on Earth.
The term appears most often in discussions of evolution, where fossils demonstrate how species changed over time: The fossil evidence for human evolution is now extensive.
It also figures in debates where such evidence is contested or cited as proof.
- coprolitesFossilized animal excrement
- paleontologyStudy of ancient organisms
- trace fossilsPreserved signs of activity
- stromatolitesLayered sedimentary bacterial structures
- Burgess ShaleCambrian lagerstätte in Canada
evolutionary theory · stratigraphy · rock layers · extinction events · ancient life · deep time · phylogenetics · geology · extinct · microfossils · petrified · transitional fossils · dig · carbon dating · footprint · trace · sediment · preserved
- paleontologydinosaurs, paleontology, dinosaur bones, dinosaur fossils, fossils
- early biologyAristotle, Linnaeus, Lamarck, taxonomy, natural history
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
- tectonicsplate tectonics, tectonic plates, tectonic plate, subduction, plate boundaries
- ancient atmosphereoxygen levels, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrogen, hydrogen
- macroevolutionmacroevolution, speciation, extinction, common descent, phylogeny
fossil evidenceliving organisms
fossil evidencespeculation
Unproven theorizing or risky investment
conjecture · oral tradition · anecdotal evidence · theoretical models