NATS 1675 Lecture Notes - Comparative Embryology, Vestigiality, Comparative Anatomy
7 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
The human body in the larger world: evidence of evolution. Types of evidence: fossil evidence, anatomical evidence, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, vestigial structures, biochemical evidence. Remnants are preserved, impressions made in soil/rock. Hard parts (shells, bones, teeth) are rich in minerals. Organic material can also turn into stone sometimes (leaf fossils) Assembling fossils in chronological order shows evolutionary path of that organism. Non-decomposed fossils = when an organism can"t decay. Ice, acid bogs, resin: entire body (soft tissues) may be preserved, some dna may be retained. Homologous structures and resemblance early in development reveal common descent. Vestigial organs are those that don"t serve any purpose anymore, but in our ancestors, they used to be fully functional: human appendix, top ear muscle, tailbone, wisdom teeth, goose bumps. Some organisms have the same genetic code and same cells / components as their relatives.
