Fossil
hideFossils (from Latin fossus, literally "having been dug up") are the preserved remains or traces of animals, plants, and other organisms from the remote past. The totality of fossils, both discovered and undiscovered, and their placement in fossiliferous (fossil-containing) rock formations and sedimentary layers (strata) is known as the fossil record. The study of fossils across geological time, how they were formed, and the evolutionary relationships between taxa (phylogeny) are some of the most important functions of the science of paleontology. Such a preserved specimen is called a "fossil" if it is older than some minimum age, most often the arbitrary date of 10,000 years ago. Hence, fossils range in age from the youngest at the start of the Holocene Epoch to the oldest from the Archaean Eon several billion years old. The observations that certain fossils were associated with certain rock strata led early geologists to recognize a geological timescale in the 19th century. The development of radiometric dating techniques in the early 20th century allowed geologists to determine the numerical or "absolute" age of the various strata and thereby the included fossils.
Like extant organisms, fossils vary in size from microscopic, such as single bacterial cells only one micrometer in diameter, to gigantic, such as dinosaurs and trees many meters long and weighing many tons. A fossil normally preserves only a portion of the deceased organism, usually that portion that was partially mineralized during life, such as the bones and teeth of vertebrates, or the chitinous exoskeletons of invertebrates. Preservation of soft tissues is rare in the fossil record. Fossils may also consist of the marks left behind by the organism while it was alive, such as the footprint or feces (coprolites) of a reptile. These types of fossil are called trace fossils (or ichnofossils), as opposed to body fossils. Finally, past life leaves some markers that cannot be seen but can be detected in the form of biochemical signals; these are known as chemofossils or biomarkers.
For more information about Fossil, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
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News tagged with dinosaur bones
Evidence of the 'Lost World' -- did dinosaurs survive the end Cretaceous extinctions?
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Apr 28, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (14) |
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The Lost World, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's account of an isolated community of dinosaurs that survived the catastrophic extinction event 65 million years ago, has no less appeal now than it did when it was written a century ...
A case of mistaken dino-identity
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jan 13, 2009 |
4 / 5 (7) |
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The official State Dinosaur of Texas is up for a new name, based on Southern Methodist University research that proved the titleholder has been misidentified.
Ancient mammal tracks found at national monument
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 24, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Hundreds of tiny footprints left by mammals some 190 million years ago have been found on a canyon wall in a remote part of Dinosaur National Monument, park officials said Thursday.
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Mysterious mountain dino may be a new species
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 12, 2008 |
3.9 / 5 (21) |
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A partial dinosaur skeleton unearthed in 1971 from a remote British Columbia site is the first ever found in Canadian mountains and may represent a new species, according to a recent examination by a University ...
Bones of T. rex to make museum debut in Oregon
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 11, 2009 |
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(AP) -- The skeleton of a Tyrannosaurus rex will make its museum debut at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry along the banks of the Willamette River.
Scientists find more dinosaur bones at Utah quarry
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 05, 2009 |
5 / 5 (4) |
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(AP) -- Scientists at one of Utah's major new dinosaur quarries have found 60 to 70 new bones this spring, including what appears to be a 20-foot-long neck bone discovered this week.
Montana man gets 60 days for dinosaur bones theft
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jun 02, 2009 |
5 / 5 (2) |
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(AP) -- A commercial fossil hunter, whose discovery of the world's best-preserved dinosaur brought scientific acclaim, will serve 60 days in jail for stealing raptor bones from private land.
T. rex still looking for home after Vegas auction
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Oct 04, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex is still looking for a home after bidders failed to meet the minimum price Saturday at a Las Vegas auction.
Dinosaur species innocent of cannibalism
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 26, 2006 |
3.8 / 5 (4) |
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A U.S. paleontology student is being credited with discrediting a theory that the dinosaur species Coelophysis bauri practiced cannibalism.
U of A students reaffirm the work of a 1920s paleontologist
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 14, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
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Three University of Alberta paleontology graduate students blew the dust off an 85-year-old dinosaur find to discover the original researcher had it right and a 1970s revision of his work was wrong.
Fossils of Asia's heaviest dinosaur found
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 05, 2007 |
4.2 / 5 (11) |
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Scientists have located and identified the fossils of Asia's heaviest dinosaur on record in China's Henan Province, a report said.
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Britain's oldest dinosaur to be released
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Nov 03, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- After 210 million years of being entombed in rock, the Bristol Dinosaur is about to be released, thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund grant awarded to the University of Bristol.
T. rex for sale: Dinosaur fossil on block in Vegas
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Sep 04, 2009 |
3 / 5 (1) |
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(AP) -- Museums and high-rolling natural history buffs will get a crack at buying a fossilized Tyrannosaurus rex next month at a Las Vegas Strip auction.
List of search results for dinosaur bones
