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Fossils
This category is for questions about the bones, fragments, imprints, and other remainders from a different time. The questions and answer you will find here are history set in stone -- our past, immortalized in solid rock. You will also be able to find questions pertaining to the locations of these fossils, how you might identify them, and how they were formed.
3,454 Questions
Paleontologists do this... the most relevant answer and field is paleontology but many fields study relevant fossil material.
Some studies are sub-categorical to paleontology. Taphonomy is the study of fossil preservation. Paleoecology is concerned particularly with the ecological interactivity in ancient environments. Paleogeography, or geographersconcerned with the theory of tectonics relied upon fossil evidence for mapping the previous orientation of the world's continents. Geologists makes use of fossils by comparison as fossils are generally geological in nature. Biologists benefit from better understanding the evolutionary derivation of characters as does medicine. Astrobiology benefits in it's search for life by better understanding the development and history of our singular example here on Earth. Zoologists such as ornithologistsbenefit a great deal by understanding the evolutionary relationships between the organisms they study. Even energy companies are interested in and study fossils since fossil fuels are, in fact, fossils- the chemical remains of ancient life. There are many other fields. Even philosophybenefits from the study, such as with ethicsderived in part by a better understanding of biology and Life.
In short, paleontology and the study of ancient Life is not a valueless or narrow science and affects profoundly many aspects of science, economics, and philosophy in the modern world. It is a worthwhile investment and endeavor.
This is the idea called punctuated equilibria, by paleontologists Stephen Jay Gould and Niles Eldredge. It explains the patterns seen in the fossil record.
Why might ancient lake and sea beds be rich sources of fossils?
water saves bones
Because as the river erodes the soil beneath it and on the banks, the fossils that lie buried there are exposed and wash into the river; then the suspended soil settles onto the fossils in the river bed and covers them again.
What can you infer about the area where you find a pecten fossil?
Pecten fossils are mostly found on the east coast of the United States.
Which method dating would you use with frozen fossils?
Among many methods, carbon dating is most commonly used to date fossils. In carbon dating, scientists look at how much carbon is left in the fossil, look at the half-life period, and use that to see when it was from.
What causes sediments to harden into a rock?
Sediments harden to form sedimentary rock through the application of pressure. Heat may play a part, but it is the settling down of the sediment and the buildup of overburden that "crushes" the material together. After millenia in a "big squeeze" applied by zillions of tons of material that has been superpositioned, sedimentary rock if formed. A link can be found below to the Wikipedia post on sediment and on sedimentary rock.
To compare the relative ages of fossils, scientists use an early recognized species called an index fossil. An index fossil must have existed for a short period time and must have covered a wide geographical range.
What is the collector for fossils called?
A rock collector is generally referred to as a rockhound.A person who studies the science behind rocks is called a petrologist.
Can fossils tell us how an animal died?
A fossil can reveal information about extinct animals such as where the animal lived, how long ago the animal lived, what kinds of foods the animal ate, and how the animal had adapted over time for survival.
Principle of fossil succession?
The Law of Fossil Succession states that fossil organisms originate, coexist, and disappear from the geologic record in a definite sequential order.
Which rock is most likely the oldest?
Probablly Bill Haley's Comets they are rockabilly they are the first rock n roll band with songs like rock around the clock from 1953
Why are fossils used as an evidence of evolution?
They are important because it helps scientists know what things looked like, what they ate, and to see if there are changes between what a certain species used to look like and what it looks like now. This helps scientists to make guesses about how animals or plants developed and changed over time.
How did these prints become trace fossils?
Trace fossils are things like foot prints, burrows, and fossilized feces (coprolites). So quite simply, they're formed by the living-part of an animal's life (rather than its death, being buried as a body fossil). If there's a muddy bottom and an animal crawls across it, it could leave an imprint. Burrows could left behind. These divots and so on can get filled in with hardy sediment that becomes fossilized when the mud is covered over and the sediments become a standard sedimentary rock containing trace fossils.
Why do you only have fossils of a fraction of the things that have existed on Earth?
There are very many reasons why some living things did not fossilise.
- natural processes will bio-degrade living things after their death.
- soft tissue does not usually fossilise.
- pre-historic predators and scavengers may have destroyed or scattered the potential fossil.
- modern predators or scavengers may have destroyed or scattered the potential fossil.
- geological changes may have obliterated fossils.
Is my petrified snake head worth anything?
There are many fossils that look like snake skeleton parts, but are in fact something else. And, snake skulls are very rare since they have very thin bones that are not well fused together so they do not last long enough to be fossilized. Often they are rocks. Verify your find with a museum or expert first.
Which layer of the earth are fossils mostly found?
The crust. There are no fossils in the core as the outer core is liquid and no organisms have lived on the inner core.
Do radiometric dates for fossils often come directly from the fossils themselves?
Radiometric dating comes from the fossils themselves very rarely. Most of the time the dating method interprets the strata surrounding the fossil.
If a fossil skull has flat teeth what do you think this animal ate?
They may conclude that the animal was a herbivore as flat teeth are used for grinding up vegetation, as opposed to sharp teeth (incisors) which are good at cutting / chewing / biting meat.
Organisms with hard parts stand a good chance of being fossilized if they are?
Rapidly buried by sediments
How does correlation help scientists?
The principal advantage over casual comparative or experimental designs is that they enable researchers to analyze the relationships among a large number of variables in a single study. Another advantage of correlational designs is that they provide information concerning the degree of the relationship between the variables being studied. Correlational research designs are used for two major purposes: (1) to explore casual relationship between variables and (2) to predict scores on one variable from research participants' scores on other variables.
How did the fossils Darwin observed compare with the living organisms he studied?
Darwin's observations regarding ostriches led him to the theory of Evolution. For example, when he visited one part of Argentina, he noticed that the ostriches were similar, not the same, to ostriches from another region of Argentina. The fossil record also mimicked this loosely. Thus, Darwin began to look for a viable theory that could answer this. Hence, the theory of Evolution was born, which made the scientific explanation for life as we know it today.
I hope this answers your question.
Fossils of fungi are rare due to?
Mushrooms are very soft and have no cellulose or rigid fibers in them. They smash and disintegrate before they are fossilized.
What do fossils allow us to understand?
fossils teach use about our planets past they allow us to see into the past ( almost likea window). the how us what sort of plants and animals where livng hundrends of years ago. fossils can also can even show use about climate and its change over millions of years.
