History of Life on Earth

What is the name of the important island group that Darwin spent time on?

The time that it takes for half of a sample of an unstable element to decay.

A group of organisms that can mate with one another and produce fertile offspring.

Name of the large landmass where all the continents were once connected.

Species change over time

The term used to refer to humans or human-like species.

Which species was the first to appear?

According to scientists, how old is the Earth?

Means to walk upright on two legs.

Age of mammals.

Which was the fourth species to appear?

The oldest discovered hominid who had brains bigger than apes. Lucy was one of these.

What was the name of the ship that Darwin traveled on?

The Earth's first "pollution."

When one species dies out completely.

Plates that make up the outer layer of the Earth slowly moving causing the continents to move.

What divides the eras of time on the geologic time scale?

Era that ended with a mass extinction cased by a meteorite collision.

Hominid species that came next after Australopithecus and used fire and tools.

Era in which oxygen was added to the atmosphere and in which life began.

The oldest era, lasted from 4.6 bya to 540 mya.

How far do the continents move per year?

Era that lasted from 248 mya to 65 mya.

The calendar that scientists use to outline the history of the Earth.

Which was the last species to appear on Earth?

A trait that helps an organism to survive and reproduce.

The historical order of life that can be observed from the fossils we have collected.

The scientific name for modern humans.

The type of animal that gives milk to its young.

The first organism to use photosynthesis.

Era that lasted from 540 mya to 248 mya. Started with a huge explosion of new species.

Estimating the age of a rock or fossil by looking at its position in the rock layers.

Which species was the third to appear?

Our hominid ancestor that created the first known art.

Scientists that use fossils to learn about/understand the history of life on Earth.

The layer of O3 in our atmosphere that protects us from most of the UV radiation from the Sun.

Era who's name means "Ancient Life" and had lots of marine life.

Comparing unstable to stable amounts of elements in rocks or fossils to determine age.

Era's name means "Middle Life" also when the dinosaurs and reptiles ruled.

Era that we are in today. Started 65 mya.

Many species die out at once.

Hominid species in Europe and Asia that had large eyebrow ridges. Often thought of as cavemen.

The solid remains or imprints of once living organisms.

What Law says that older rocks are layered below younger rocks?

Which species was the second to appear?

A type of mammal that has opposable thumbs and binocular vision.