| evolution | "Change through time, usually with reference to biological species, but may also refer to changes within cultural systems."
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| fossils | Remains of life-forms of the past.
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| strata | "Layers; here, the layers of rock and soil under the earth’s surface. Singular, stratum."
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| stratigraphy | The study of the earth’s strata.
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| catastrophists | "Those who believe the history of the earth is explained by a series of global catastrophes, either natural or divine in origin. "
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| comparative anatomy | Comparing the anatomical features of various species. Used to reconstruct a fossil species from fragmentary remains.
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| uniformitarianism | The idea that present-day geological and biological processes can also explain the history of the earth and its life.
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| adaptation | "The state in which an organism is adjusted to and can survive in its environment through its physical traits and behaviors. Also, the process by which an organism develops this state through natural processes."
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| progressive | "In evolution, the now-discounted idea that all change is toward increasing complexity."
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| inheritance of acquired characteristics | "The incorrect idea, associated with Lamarck, that adaptive traits acquired during an organism’s lifetime can be passed on to its offspring."
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| fitness | "The relative adaptiveness of an individual organism, measured ultimately by reproductive success."
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| natural selection | Evolutionary change based on the differential reproductive success of individuals within a species.
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