| MadSci Network: Evolution |
Hello Emilie, Studying animals that are extinct can give us lots of useful and interesting information! Paleontologists (scientists who study life that existed in prehistoric times)attempt to determine when and why they died. They also try to learn about the creature's physiology, lifestyle, and if it is an ancestor of any of the living things present today. This can tell us about what the earth was like and what types of creatures roamed the earth when our fossil was still alive. Archaeopteryx is important because it is believed to be the first bird on earth! It is also evidence that birds have evolved from dinosaurs (there are some who disagree with this though). If you are interested in learning more about archaeopteryx I found a couple of websites you might like to take a look at: http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/diapsids/birds/archaeopteryx.html http://www.talkorigins.org/faqs/archaeopteryx/info.html The second one may have too much information, but I included it in case you want to do alot of reading! Take care. derrick
Try the links in the MadSci Library for more information on Evolution.