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23 Dec 2021
Background and context
Evidence for evolution comes from many different areas of biology:
- Anatomy. Species may share similar physical characteristics because this feature was present in a common ancestor (homologous structures).
- Molecular Biology. Genetic code and DNA represent the shared lineage of life. DNA comparisons can show how related species are.
- Biogeography. The global distribution of fauna and the unique features of island species reflect evolution and geological change.
- Fossils. Fossils document the existence of now-extinct past species that are related to today's species.
- Direct observation. We can directly observe small-scale evolution in organisms with short life cycles (for example, insecticide-resistant insects).
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