ABSTRACT
Reconstructing evolutionary history, or phylogeny, is based on a combination of information from fossils and genetics. The nature of the evidence provided by each of these sources differs. Genetic evidence is derived largely from living populations of humans and animals, although in a small number of cases it is possible to recover genetic material from fossils. Genetics provides insight into the evolutionary relationship between living species and the timing of the split between the lineages leading to those species (see Figure II.3). Fossils are the physical remains of prehistoric life. It is only through fossils that we can learn about our now-extinct human ancestors.
