The History of Life on Earth: Vocabulary

Word Definition Image

scientific evidence data, or information, that

either supports or counters
a scientific theory or idea

scientific theory a well-tested explanation of

scientific observations and
experiments that is
supported by a large
amount of evidence

scientific law a description of a natural

phenomenon that has been
repeatedly tested and
appears to be without
exception

relative dating the process of determining

whether one rock, fossil, or
event is older or younger
than another
absolute dating the process of determining
the approximate age of a
rock, fossil, or event

model a representation of an
object or process that
makes important aspects
easier to observe

geologic time scale a model used to study the

history of Earth that divides
this history into blocks of
time such as geologic eras
and geologic periods

fossil the preserved remains or

traces of once-living
organisms

fossil record the history of life on Earth

as documented by the
fossils collected so far
biodiversity the variety of species on
Earth

mass extinction an event in the history of

life on Earth in which a
large number of species go
extinct over a relatively
short time period

extinct when all members of a

species die and the species
no longer exists

constraints the limitations on an

engineering solution

criteria the requirements that must

be met for an engineering
solution to be considered
successful
 ​The Evolution of Life

word Definition image

trait a characteristic of an
organism

adaptation an inherited trait

evolved through natural
selection that makes a
population well suited to
living and reproducing
in its environment

evolution the inherited changes

that occur in a
population over time

natural selection the process through

which individuals in a
population with certain
inherited traits are more
likely to survive and
reproduce than
individuals with less
favorable traits in a
specific environment

population a group of individuals of

the same species that
live and reproduce in
the same place
genetic variation differences in the
inherited traits of
different individuals

adapt to evolve a trait, through

natural selection, that
makes a population well
suited to surviving and
reproducing in its
environment

probability the chance that a

specific outcome will
occur out of a total
number of outcomes
proportion the fraction of the whole

coevolution the evolution of two

species in response to
each other, resulting in
reciprocal or “matching”
adaptations

protein a type of molecule that

makes up much of an
organism’s structure
and helps it function

gene a segment of DNA that

contains the instructions
for building a product,
usually a protein

DNA a type of molecule that

carries the inherited
information passed from
parents to offspring
chromosome a cell structure that
contains an organism’s
DNA

allele a specific version or

form of a gene

mutation a random change to an

organism’s DNA

Iterative testing repeated testing of an

object, tool, or process
with changes or
improvements between
the rounds of testing
species a group of organisms
that share traits and can
breed successfully with
one another but not with
other groups

evolutionary tree a diagram with

branches that shows
how different groups of
organisms are related

common ancestor an ancestor from which

two or more different
species evolved, or
descended

anatomy the body structure of

organisms
convergent evolution the separate evolution
of similar traits in
different species,
resulting from
adaptation to similar
environments

a developing organism
embryo that has not yet
sprouted, hatched, or
been born