Activities

1. In order for a species to evolve, what molecule must change that will get passed on to future offspring?
   
   
2. What will happen to the number of individuals in a population that have advantageous characteristics?
   
   
3. It is believed that what types of organisms were the first on planet Earth?
   
   
4. When a species has characteristics that don’t help it survive, what is the likely result for this species?

5. Which type of evidence would give the most accurate results when comparing organisms that may have a common ancestor? Structural or Molecular? Explain why.

6. Two organisms are believed to have come from a common ancestor. What types of evidence could be used to see if this is true?
   
   
7. Scientists compared fossil remains of a species that lived thousands of years ago with members of the same species living today. Scientists concluded that this species changed very little over the time period. What may account for this lack of change?

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• DNA
• Proteins

2. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• They will increase in number.

3. Simple-single celled organisms
   
   
4. Extinction

5. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• Molecular because it shows the protein or DNA structure that lies behind the outward body structure.

6. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• You can look at the fossil record and see if they have similar structures in the past
• You could compare their DNA and protein sequences

7. Acceptable answers include, but are not limited to:

• The environment did not have a significant change therefore the individuals that inhabited that area had no need to adapt and the ones that did change and had new characteristics did not survive.