Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

Science 2023/2024 > Fossils Exploration > Flashcards

Fossils Exploration Flashcards

Science 2024

You may prefer our related Brainscape-certified flashcards:
Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What did scientists begin to understand in the 1800s?

A

In the 1800s scientists were only beginning to understand fossils came from ancient animals.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
1
Q

What is the Theory of Evolution?

A

The Theory of Evolution is that the various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that the distinguishable differences are due to modifications in successive generations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

What is the job of a paleontologist?

A

The job of a paleontologist is the study of fossils to discover how life on Earth has changed or evolved over time.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

How can scientists trace the history of Earth?

A

Scientists trace the history of Earth by combining fossil evidence with other information.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

What do fossil records tell us?

A

Fossil records tell us that billions of years ago, the only life forms on Earth were simple unicellular organisms.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

What has happened to most organisms that have lived on Earth?

A

What has happened was most organisms that have lived on Earth have become extinct.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

According to scientists, what are all extinct organisms related to?

A

All extinct organisms are related to living ones, and their similarities can be traced using fossils.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Describe what has happened to horses over time.

A

They have developed. Horses, overtime, have had five padded toes, and lived in forests. The fossils show that this species slowly evolved into modern horses, which are tall, live on grasslands, and have hoofed feet.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Why is fossilization rare?

A

Fossilization is rare because not every living thing has been preserved. Overtime fossil have been destroyed by earth and its natural processes.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Describe how whales have evolved over time.

A

Whales have evolved over time from land animals to sea animals, their feet and legs changed shape, adapting to the new environment and eventually becoming flippers.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

What happened to animals when landmasses split or when the climate changed?

A

When landmasses split or when the climate change the animals evolved in response.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

What do fossils tell a story of?

A

Evolution

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

What is evolution?

A

The theory that various types of animals and plants have their origin in other preexisting types and that there modifications are due to changes in generations.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

What helps us understand the changes in Earth’s environment?

A

Fossil record helps us understand the changes in Earth’s environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

How can scientists tell if a region of Earth was once warmer?

A

Scientists can tell if a region of Earth was once warmer if they find plant fossils in an Arctic environment.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

How can scientists reconstruct ancient ecosystems?

A

Scientists reconstruct ancient ecosystems using fossil records.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

How does studying rock layers help scientists?

A

Studying rock layers help scientists because they can describe what the animal and plant communities in that area were.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

How old is Earth?

A

4.6 billion years old

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

What are the oldest fossils found?

A

The oldest fossils found that have been found are those of bacteria that lived about 3.8 billion years ago.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

When did the diversity of life increase?

A

The diversity of life increased rapidly after the evolution of the first multicellular organisms.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

What did scientists create to understand the age of Earth?

A

Scientists created systems called geological time scales to understand the age of Earth.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

What did scientists use to create this system?

A

Scientists used fossil records to create this system.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

What are the 4 time periods that make up the geological time scale?

A

The four time periods that make up the geological time scale are eons, eras, periods, and epochs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

How do scientists mark the boundary between each division?

A

Scientists mark the boundary between each division by marking the appearance, disappearance, or change in dominance of particular fossil groups.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

What marked the division between the Devonian and Carboniferous periods?

A

The division between the Devonian and Carboniferous periods is by the appearance of primitive trees and the first land animals with backbones.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

How many mass extinctions have occurred in Earth’s history?

A

5

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

What geological epoch are we living in?

A

Holocene

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

What is relative dating?

A

Relative dating is when scientists use the geologic time scale to compare fossil records from different time periods.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

What can scientists infer about a fossil that is found between the Early Jurassic Period and the Late Jurassic Period?

A

Scientists can infer anything found in the layer between these fossils will come from the Middle Jurassic period.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

How do scientists date the majority of fossils?

A

Scientists date the majority of fossils by relative dating

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

An extinct organism with reptile or birdlike features; lived on Earth millions of years ago

A

Dinosaurs

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Evidence that an organism once existed in an area; can be part of the organism’s body or a trace fossil which is a mark or print left by the organism

A

Fossil

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
32
Q

The info about Earth’s history that can be gathered from fossils

A

Record

33
Q

Describes a species of animals that once lived on Earth but no longer exists

A

Extinct

34
Q

A fossil resin from tree sap, usually a translucent, yellow - brown color, which may contain insects or other organisms

A

Amber

35
Q

One of several huge piece of Earth’s crust

A

Tectonic Plate

36
Q

The study of rocks and Earth

A

Geology

37
Q

The opposite ends of a battery, a magnet, or the north and south ends of the Earth

A

Pole

38
Q

Comes from the decay of organisms that are then buried in sediments and compressed for millions of years

A

Fossil Fuels

39
Q

Solid material, moved by wind, water, ad other forces, that settle on the surface of land or the bottom of a body of water

A

Sediment

40
Q

A layer or line above rock above or below another body of rock

A

Rock Layer

41
Q

To break down into simple nutrients

A

Decompose

42
Q

A set of statements or principles devised to explain a group of facts or phenomenon

A

Theory

43
Q

A type of fossil formed when sediment fills a mold of an organic object such as fossil shells, creating a replica of that object made of sediment

A

Cast

44
Q

A living thing that needs sun, water, and air to grow ; comes in many shapes and sizes

A

Plant

45
Q

A small animal with 3 body sections, 2 antennae, and 6 legs

A

Insect

46
Q

To break or wear away

A

Decay

47
Q

To change overtime

A

Evolve

48
Q

Evidence that an organism once existed in an area; can be a part of the organism’s body or a trace fossil which is a mark or print left by the organism

A

Fossil

49
Q

An element that is found in almost all compounds that make up living things

A

Carbon

50
Q

A fossil fuel that forms from decomposed plant materials

A

Coal

51
Q

That age given in years, of a fossil, a rock, a feature, or an event; usually determined through radiometric dating

A

Absolute Age

52
Q

An amount of rock or soil that has been laid down in an area; to drop; to lay down

A

Deposit

53
Q

Measurement of the amount of radioactive material (usually carbon 14) that an object contains; can be used to estimate the age of the object

A

Radioactive Dating

54
Q

Earth’s crust, both beneath the oceans and continents, as well as the

A

geosphere

55
Q

a piece of rock or metal from space that strikes Earth’s surface

A

Meteorite

56
Q

the study of fossils and the fossil record

A

Paleontology

57
Q

the process of reasoning by drawing a logical conclusion based on factual evidence

A

Inference

58
Q

the dating of events based solely upon the order in which they occurred

A

Relative Age

59
Q

a state of matter without any defined volume or shape in which atoms or molecules move about freely

A

gas

60
Q

the average weather conditions in an area

A

climate

61
Q

an imaginary line that divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres; located halfway between the North and South Poles

A

equator

62
Q

cycle

A

cycle

63
Q

an organism that is too small for people to see with only their eyes

A

microorganism

64
Q

a group of organisms that share similar characteristics and can mate with each other to produce offspring

A

species

65
Q

an organism that is made of many cells, cannot make its own food, and can move during at least part of its life; a member of kingdom Animalia

A

animal

66
Q

the structure of a living thing

A

anatomy

67
Q

extremely old

A

ancient

68
Q

a fossil that forms when the remains of an organism leave an imprint in the sediment after the organic material has been completely replaced

A

mold

69
Q

a word describing a rock or layer of rocks formed by the lithification of transported or precipitated particles

A

sedimentary

70
Q

organs that make up a skeleton

A

bone

71
Q

an animal that lives in water, has fins and scales, and breathes through gills

A

fish

72
Q

any individual living thing

A

organism

73
Q

fossilized evidence of plant existence or animal movements such as root channels, footprints, and burrows

A

trace fossil

74
Q

all the living and nonliving things that surround an organism

A

environment

75
Q

What are the 5 different ages

A

Marine Invertebrates, Fishes, Age of Amphibians, Age of Reptiles, and Age of Mammals

76
Q

What period are we in?

A

Quaternary

77
Q

What epoch are we in?

A

Holocene

78
Q

What era are we in?

A

Cenzoic

79
Q

What eon are we in?

A

Phanerozoic

80
Q

What came before birds?

A

Fish

Science 2023/2024 (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions