How convenient. We study the similarities of EXISTING species and then declare the existence of those similarities PROVES evolution. And we can conveniently do away with that horribly unreliable fossil evidence.
See post 20.
The fossil record was useful because we could compare anatomical features of various extinct animals to study their evolution. There are HUNDREDS of "transitional forms" in the fossil record that meet the definition of the creationists. However, ALL species are transitional species. That's why there gone and new ones have arissen.
Anatomical features are physical representations of the genes (phenotypes)that produce them. When looking at the genetic information directly, we are looking at the recipe for a specific species. We no longer need to look at imperfect accidentally preserved specimens.