Question

demarco is comparing the bodies of a typical bird and winged insect, as shown in the diagram. a scientist from before darwins time might have argued against the conclusion that the bird and insect shared a common ancestor. here is a statement this scientist might have made: earth is only a few thousand years old. for this reason, evolution would have needed to act very quickly for both birds and insects to arise from the same ancestor. no one has observed evolutionary processes in action, even at a slow rate. construct a counter - argument to the scientists statement.

Explanation:

Evolution can occur at different rates over long - geological timescales. Just because no one has observed it in a short human - time frame doesn't mean it didn't happen slowly over millions of years. Also, convergent evolution could explain similar features (like wings) in birds and insects without a recent common ancestor.

Answer:

Evolution is a long - term process that occurs over millions of years. Just because it hasn't been observed in a few thousand years doesn't mean it doesn't happen at a slow rate. Also, the similar wing structures in birds and insects could be due to convergent evolution rather than a recent common ancestor.