science quiz
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Created by:
jianna5433 on May 13, 2010
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35 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 fossil record | all the fossils that have existed throughout life's history, whether they have been found or not |
| paleontologist | are people who study fossils and other types of evidence to learn about life in the past |
| trace fossil | is evidence left by organisms such as burrows, imprints, coprolite, or foot prints. trace fossils are not preserved parts of the organism |
| uplift | is the process that causes part of the earths crust to rise above surrounding areas, this can cause layers of rock to become exposed at the surface |
| erosion | weathering or wearing away of rock and Earth caused by wind, sun, and/or water |
| sedimentary rock | is a type of rock that is formed when layers of small particals are compressed and cemented together |
| mold | are fossils formed when the sediment surrounding a buried organism hardens when the organism decays, its impression is left in the rock and can be seen if the rock is broken open |
| mineralization | the process of replacing any organism's original material with mineral |
| metamorphic rock | rock produced when any type of rock is changed by heat. pressure, and chemical activity in the Earth |
| igneous rock | is a type of rock that is produced when molten magma (lava) cools and solidifes |
| fossil | the natural remains or traces of past life has to be at least 10,000 years old |
| coprolite | fossilized poop |
| cast | fossils formed when water containing minerals leak into a mold |
| biodiversity | the variety of living things |
| index fossils | are fossils of organisms that existed over a large geographic area for a "short" period of time, distinctive fossil used to compare the relative ages of fossils |
| bipedal | describing an animal that walks on two legs |
| quadrupedal | describing an animal that walks on four legs |
| tetrapod | a vertebrate animal having four feet or legs or leg like appendages |
| common ancestor | is an ancestor shared by two or more lineages |
| hypothesis | specific, testable predictions derived from a theory |
| most recent common ancestor | the most recently shared ancestor of two or more lineages |
| cladogram | tree shaped family tree connectors over time |
| evolution | the gradual change in a species over time |
| genetic mutation | any even that changes genetic structure |
| geographic isolation | physical separation of members of a population |
| geologic time | the succession of eras, periods, and epochs as considered in historical geology |
| natural selection | the process which individuals that are better adapted to their envirorment are more likely to survive and reproduce than other members of the same species, survival of the fittest |
| law of superposition | The geologic principle that states that in horizontal layers of sedimentary rock, each layer is older than the layer above it and younger than the layer below it. |
| original remains | all or part of an organism becomes encased in amber, ice or tar |
| half life | the time it takes for half of the atoms in a radioactive element to break down |
| replaced remains | remains that are replaced by minerals |
| homologous structures | body parts that are used by scientists, a pattern of bones in the arms/ legs in vertebrates |
| archeopteryx | extinct primitive toothed bird of the Jurassic period having a long feathered tail and hollow bones |
| relative time | The sequence in which events took place (not measured in time units). based on relative age |
| absolute time | the actual time (usually measured in years) as determined by radioactive decay of elements |
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