MS-LS4-1

Analyze and interpret data for patterns in the fossil record that document the existence, diversity, extinction, and change of life forms throughout the history of life on Earth under the assumption that natural laws operate today as in the past.

More Stories in MS-LS4-1

  1. Math

    Bees and wasps devised the same clever math trick to build nests

    During nest building, these insects add five- and seven-sided cells in pairs. This helps their colony fit together hexagonal cells of different sizes.

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  2. Oceans

    How would a mermaid sound underwater?

    Human ears don’t work well in the water. A mermaid would need marine creature features to talk to and understand her aquatic friends.

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  3. Fossils

    This bizarre ancient predator snagged soft prey

    Scientists are rethinking how this extinct creature used the spiky limbs sticking out of its face to hunt.

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  4. Animals

    Megalodons may have become megahunters by running hot

    O. megalodon sharks were warm-blooded mega-predators. But when food sources dwindled, colder-blooded sharks may have had an evolutionary edge.

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  5. Fossils

    T. rex may have hidden its teeth behind lips

    Dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus have long been portrayed with their big teeth bared. But new research suggests this wasn’t so.

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  6. Fossils

    Ancient jellyfish? Upside down this one looks like something else

    A new look at an ancient sea animal called Essexella suggests it may have been a type of burrowing sea anemone, not a floating jelly.

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  7. Animals

    A love of small mammals drives this scientist

    Alexis Mychajliw’s science is driven by her love of animals. She now looks to tar pits and fossilized poop to understand ancient ecosystems.

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  8. Humans

    Let’s learn about Neandertals

    Neandertals are an extinct species closely related to modern humans. They made tools and jewelry, controlled fires and cared for their sick.

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  9. Fossils

    An ancient ichthyosaur graveyard may have been a breeding ground

    Some 230 million years ago, huge dolphin-like reptiles appear to have gathered to breed in safe waters, just as many whales do today.

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