Exam 15: A Brief History of Life on Earth

The mass extinction event at the end of the Mesozoic Era (the K-T extinction)is hypothesized as the result of extraterrestrial impact.Discuss the evidences and consequences of such an impact.

After the Neandertals disappeared,the oldest group of Homo sapiens appeared in Europe approximately _____ years ago.

The Earth's secondary atmosphere most likely developed from _____.

What is evolution?

The earliest skeletal animals were arthropods in the Cambrian Period.What are arthropods and which creatures are typical examples?

DNA is critical to life as a mechanism of _____.

The concept of a "species" is a population of genetically related individuals that can _____.

Which of the following is NOT a mode of fossilization?

How does the scientific use of the term "theory" differ from everyday use?

The family that includes humans is the _____.

A modern view of evolution,involving persistence of species for long times without change followed by rapid change,is called ______.

The process in which sunlight breaks down water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen is called _____.

The detailed impressions of feathers in this fossil identify it as a dinosaur.

Which of the following did NOT lead to conditions that were hostile to life on the early Earth,before 3.8 billion years ago?

The Burgess Shale in British Columbia is famous for containing _____.

The fossil called "Lucy," as reconstructed below,is a specimen of the early hominid genus _____.

What were the oldest multicellular fossils,such as the Dickinsoniashown below,and where were they found?

The earliest eukaryotic multicellular life is found near the end of the _____ Eon.

A type of sedimentary rock formed during the transition from a reducing to an oxidizing atmosphere is known asbanded ______ formation.

How does the early history of atmospheric oxygen track with the history of life?