Intermpioneers Of Paleontology: Discovering Fossil
His studies detailed the creation of “intermPioneers of Paleontology (Discovering Fossils)
The word fossil is Latin, it means “dug up.”
(1452-1519) Although Leonardo da Vinci stated in an unpublished notebook that he had found fossilized remains of shellfish; it wasn’t until 1667, that Nicholas Steno made a similar more public statement. He explained that the stone tooth shaped fragments he had found were from an ancient shark and had been fossilized by horizontal deposits of sediment.
(Circa 1630-1710) Scientists Martin Lister and John Ray continued this field of study. The specimens they collected were of species no longer on the earth. This raised the important possibility of extinction. Building on previous discoveries in 1808, Georges Cuvier studied fossilized remnants of mammoths, mastodons and giant sloths. …show more content…
By 1840, the scientific community recognized the “geologic timescape”. The second half of the 19th century saw an explosion of study, punctuated by discoveries by Othneil Marsh and Edward Cope. Their digging rivalry was referred to as “The Bone Wars.” In the United States expansion westward during the Civil War spurred a marked growth in the collection of fossils.
Modern day developments in fossil studies include: radiometric dating and plate tectonics.
The study of fossils can give us a better understanding of our world. We can ask the question “How old is it?” and get a clear answer. Scientists can tell us with certainty where to drill for oil. When comparing ancient life forms and ecosystems with those of today, we can more accurately predict what our future on this planet will look
The word fossil is Latin, it means “dug up.”
(1452-1519) Although Leonardo da Vinci stated in an unpublished notebook that he had found fossilized remains of shellfish; it wasn’t until 1667, that Nicholas Steno made a similar more public statement. He explained that the stone tooth shaped fragments he had found were from an ancient shark and had been fossilized by horizontal deposits of sediment.
(Circa 1630-1710) Scientists Martin Lister and John Ray continued this field of study. The specimens they collected were of species no longer on the earth. This raised the important possibility of extinction. Building on previous discoveries in 1808, Georges Cuvier studied fossilized remnants of mammoths, mastodons and giant sloths. …show more content…
By 1840, the scientific community recognized the “geologic timescape”. The second half of the 19th century saw an explosion of study, punctuated by discoveries by Othneil Marsh and Edward Cope. Their digging rivalry was referred to as “The Bone Wars.” In the United States expansion westward during the Civil War spurred a marked growth in the collection of fossils.
Modern day developments in fossil studies include: radiometric dating and plate tectonics.
The study of fossils can give us a better understanding of our world. We can ask the question “How old is it?” and get a clear answer. Scientists can tell us with certainty where to drill for oil. When comparing ancient life forms and ecosystems with those of today, we can more accurately predict what our future on this planet will look