Table of Contents
- 1 How can we know what happened millions of years ago?
- 2 How can a scientist know what happened millions of years ago if no one was there to see it?
- 3 How do scientists know when things lived?
- 4 Why don’t we have fossils from cats that lived twenty years ago?
- 5 Why do scientists study prehistory?
- 6 How might scientists study something that they Cannot observe directly?
How can we know what happened millions of years ago?
2. How can you know what happened millions of years ago if no one was there to see it? Evidence and observation are the building blocks of all scientific inquiry; evolutionary science is no different. The theory of evolution puts these clues together into a cohesive explanation of the diversity of living things.
How can a scientist know what happened millions of years ago if no one was there to see it?
Evidence in the form of the fossil record, geological formations, and genetics attest to change having taken place and give clues to how evolution works.
How do scientists learn about prehistoric life?
Scientists learn about ancient plants and animals by studying fossils. Fossils are the remains or other evidence of life that have been preserved in the Earth’s crust.
How do scientists know when things lived?
While radiocarbon dating is useful only for materials that were once alive, scientists can use uranium-thorium-lead dating to measure the age of objects such as rocks. Just like radiocarbon dating, scientists calculate the ratios between these isotopes, comparing them with their respective half-lives.
Why don’t we have fossils from cats that lived twenty years ago?
Accept any response that refers to fossils taking a long time to form, such as: ‘There are no fossils of cats from twenty years ago because fossils take millions of years to make. Twenty years isn’t long enough to make a fossil.
What fossils Cannot tell us?
This evidence reveals what our planet was like long ago. Fossils also show how animals changed over time and how they are related to one another. Fossils can’t tell us everything. While fossils reveal what ancient living things looked like, they keep us guessing about their color, sounds, and most of their behavior.
Why do scientists study prehistory?
who lived during this time are known as prehistoric people. tools buried in the ground for thousands of years. Scientists study bones to figure out what prehistoric people looked like. Bones can also reveal how long these ancient humans lived.
How might scientists study something that they Cannot observe directly?
Some scientists investigate things that they cannot observe directly. Although atoms and molecules are too small to see, scientists use very powerful microscopes to gather evidence about them. Once scientists have gathered evidence, they use it to make inferences about the things they are investigating.
How do scientists study evolution?
Scientists study evolution in several ways. They look at fossils, genetic and physical similarities among species, and use relative and radiometric dating.