Original Project
Evolution and Natural Selection
There are similarities and differences between organisms living today, and between organisms living today and th…
Item EN015002: Scientists can use both fossils and DNA to study organisms that lived in the past.
Which of the following do scientists use to learn about organisms that lived many years ago but are no longer alive today?
- Fossils of organisms that lived many years ago, and DNA from the remains of organisms that lived many years ago.
- Fossils of organisms that lived many years ago, but not DNA from the remains of organisms that lived many years ago.
- DNA from the remains of organisms that lived many years ago, but not fossils of organisms that lived many years ago.
- Scientists have no way to learn anything about organisms that lived many years ago but are no longer alive today.
- Distribution of Responses
- Students Responding Correctly
| Group | Correct | Total | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 1797 | 3053 | 59% |
| Grades | |||
| 6–8 | 1083 | 1866 | 58% |
| 9–12 | 714 | 1187 | 60% |
| Gender | |||
| Male | 859 | 1471 | 58% |
| Female | 913 | 1523 | 60% |
| Primary Language | |||
| English | 1620 | 2710 | 60% |
| Other | 139 | 265 | 52% |
- Disciplinary Core Ideas
- LS4.A Fossils provide evidence about the types of organisms that lived long ago and also about the nature of their environments.
- NRC Framework
- LS4.A Evidence for common ancestry can be found in the fossil record, from comparative anatomy and embryology, and from the similarities of cellular processes and structures, and from comparisons of DNA sequences between species.