LIFE SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -Correct answer: Fossils show scientists how environments have changed over time. Explanation: Fossils give scientists lots of valuable information about not only the organism but the environment in which it lived.

Detailed explanation-2: -The fossil record provides snapshots of the past which, when assembled, illustrate a panorama of evolutionary change over the past 3.5 billion years. The picture may be smudged in places and has bits missing, but fossil evidence clearly shows that life is very, very old and has changed over time through evolution.

Detailed explanation-3: -Evolution is the change in inherited characteristics or traits in a population of organisms over many generations. The mechanism that best explains evolution is a phenomenon known as natural selection.

Detailed explanation-4: -By comparing fossil plants with their modern-day relatives, Wing and Barclay can deduce what type of climate the plants were living in. For example, palm trees today are exclusively tropical or subtropical plants. So, the duo can infer that a fossilized palm likely grew in a warm climate.

Detailed explanation-5: -Paleontologists were able to detect the particular order in which these organisms have lived. For instance, simpler organisms inhabited older rocks and complex organisms were found in younger rocks. This finding has made them conclude that simple organisms have evolved into more complex organisms over time.