Name: _________________________ Period: _______
Evidence for Evolution
How are DNA and comparative anatomy used to show relatedness?
Why?
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“You look just like your mother!” “He has his father’s eyes.” These comments that refer to the
similari-ties between parents and their children are heard often in conversation. These similar
traits are due to the genetic material that children inherit from their parents. As humans we are
sometimes fortunate enough to have three or four generations sitting in a room at one time, and
we can see the similarities from generation to generation. But how much do you look like your
ancestors from 100 generations ago, 1000 generations ago or more? How much of your DNA
did you inherit from those ancestors? What traits do you share with them?
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Model 1 – Family Characteristics
1. Model 1 is a family tree. Circle the original parents of the family.
2. How would you describe the organisms in the second row of Model 1 that are connected to
the parents by a line?
3. Identify the three members of the family that “married in” by placiang a star next to their
figures in Model 1.
4. How are the organisms in the third line related to the organisms in the first line?
