Big Idea IV: Many scientific fields contribute evidence for evolution.

Evidence for evolution has been supplied by many fields of scientific study. Paleontologists study the fossil record and the evolution of prehistoric life. Ecologists study the complexity and diversityDiversity:
The variety of species in a sample, community, or area. of living species and their interactions with the environment. Anatomists study living species and the complexity, diversity, and similarities of their bodies. Developmental biologists study the embryology, growth, and aging of living species and compare the differences and similarities. Geneticists and molecular biologists study the DNA, RNA, and proteins of living species and compare the differences and similarities. Evolutionary biologists study the origins of species and synthesize information from other fields into an understanding of how evolution occurs on Earth. No other subject cuts across more fields of study than evolution.

For more discussion on this topic, see the section The Evidence for Evolution.