Fossils

What are fossils?

The remains of organisms from millions of years ago.

Where can fossils be found?

In rocks.

What can fossils be formed from? (1)

Parts of an organism that don’t decay because 1 or more of the conditions needed for decay are absent.

What can fossils be formed from? (2)

Hard parts of an organism, bones, when replaced by minerals.

What can fossils be formed from? (3)

Preservation of the traces of organisms, burrows, footprint, rootlet traces.

Name a benefit of fossil record: (1)

Can tell scientists how individual species have changes over time.

Name a benefit of fossil record: (2)

Fossils allow us to understand how life developed over Earth’s history.

Name a benefit of fossil record: (3)

Fossils can be used to track the movement of a species or its ancestors across the world.

Name a problem with fossil record: (1)

Many early organisms were soft-bodied, so most decayed before producing fossils.

Name a problem with fossil record: (2)

There are gaps in the fossil record as not all fossils have been found and others have been destroyed by geological or human acitivity.

What does the destruction of fossils mean?

Scientists can’t be certain about how life began on Earth.