A scientist discovers a fossil of a new organism and places it in the fossil record. The fossil shows the organism had similar structures to organism X, which appears later in the fossil record. Which conclusion about the organisms is most reasonable?(1 point)

Question

Responses

The fossils are from organisms that lived in the same location.
The fossils are from organisms that lived in the same location.

The fossils came from the same organism.
The fossils came from the same organism.

The fossils are from an organism that is an ancestor of organism X.
The fossils are from an organism that is an ancestor of organism X.

The fossils are from an organism that is a descendant of organism X.

Answer 1

The most reasonable conclusion about the organisms is:

The fossils are from an organism that is an ancestor of organism X.

This conclusion is supported by the fact that the newly discovered fossil shows similar structures to organism X, which appeared later in the fossil record. This suggests that the newly discovered organism is likely an ancestral form from which organism X subsequently evolved.