Evolution question?

Question

Is there a fossilized link from the first single cell to any animal that is currently alive?
Is there somekind of graphic showing this?

Answer 1

There is nothing more than brief, circumstancial evidence to support the theory of evolution. Scientists have never actually observed it happening, and can only guess at the origins of life. Since they don't know what the first organism was, there is no way for them to show any direct progression from it to life today.

Answer 2

No not a *fossilized* link, because single-celled organisms do not fossilize.

But there are *genetic* and *molecular* links up the wazoo.

This starts with the fact that they use the same exact molecules (DNA, RNA, protein structures, the same basic amino acids, etc.) for life, but that's just the beginning. The strongest evidence is in how the DNA, RNA, and proteins all have specific patterns that show degrees of separation.

As for a graphic showing this, here's one:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Phylogenetic_tree.svg
It shows the entire tree of life and the connections between all the one-celled organisms and multicellular organisms (including animals) based on patterns in the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) found in all living organisms. Note that the vast majority of life is one-celled ... the Bacteria (Prokaryotes), the Archaea, and even most of the Eukaryotes. Plants, fungi, and animals are but three small multicellular branches of the Eukaryotes.

Answer 3

Scientists don't really have any idea what exactly the first single celled organism was, so we can't link what we don't know to anything living today. We do have evidence of single celled prokaryotes giving rise to eukaryotes, which eventually give rise to multi-celled organisms, and so on and so forth.

Answer 4

hey i would look up something to do with scales..

Answer 5

Not that I am aware of.