The Palaeontology Portal Introduction![]() Paleontology (⫽ˌpeɪliɒnˈtɒlədʒi, ˌpæli-, -ən-⫽ PAY-lee-on-TOL-ə-jee, PAL-ee-, -ən-), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossils to classify organisms and study their interactions with each other and their environments (their paleoecology). Paleontological observations have been documented as far back as the 5th century BC. The science became established in the 18th century as a result of Georges Cuvier's work on comparative anatomy, and developed rapidly in the 19th century. The term has been used since 1822 formed from Greek παλαιός ('palaios', "old, ancient"), ὄν ('on', (gen. 'ontos'), "being, creature"), and λόγος ('logos', "speech, thought, study"). Paleontology lies on the border between biology and geology, but it differs from archaeology in that it excludes the study of anatomically modern humans. It now uses techniques drawn from a wide range of sciences, including biochemistry, mathematics, and engineering. Use of all these techniques has enabled paleontologists to discover much of the evolutionary history of life, almost back to when Earth became capable of supporting life, nearly 4 billion years ago. As knowledge has increased, paleontology has developed specialised sub-divisions, some of which focus on different types of fossil organisms while others study ecology and environmental history, such as ancient climates. (Full article...) Selected article on the prehistoric world and its legaciesHeterodontosauridae ("different-toothed lizards") is a family of early ornithischian dinosaurs that were likely among the most basal (primitive) members of the group. Although their fossils are rare, they lived around the globe beginning in the late Triassic Period, and a few late-surviving species persisted into the Early Cretaceous. Heterodontosaurids were fox-sized dinosaurs less than 2 meters (6.6 ft) in length, including a long tail. They are known mainly for their characteristic teeth, including enlarged canine-like tusks and cheek teeth adapted for chewing, analogous to those of Cretaceous hadrosaurids. Their diet was herbivorous or possibly omnivorous. (see more...) Did you know?![]()
General images -The following are images from various paleontology-related articles on Wikipedia. Selected article on paleontology in human science, culture and economicsStephen Jay Gould (September 10, 1941 – May 20, 2002) was an American paleontologist, evolutionary biologist, and historian of science. He was also one of the most influential and widely read writers of popular science of his generation. Gould spent most of his career teaching at Harvard University and working at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. In the later years of his life, Gould also taught biology and evolution at New York University. Gould's most significant contribution to evolutionary biology was the theory of punctuated equilibrium, which he developed with Niles Eldredge in 1972. The theory proposes that most evolution is marked by long periods of evolutionary stability, which is punctuated by rare instances of branching evolution. The theory was contrasted against phyletic gradualism, the popular idea that evolutionary change is marked by a pattern of smooth and continuous change in the fossil record. Most of Gould's research was based on the land snail genera Poecilozonites and Cerion. He also contributed to evolutionary developmental biology, and has received wide praise for his book Ontogeny and Phylogeny. In evolutionary theory he opposed strict selectionism, sociobiology as applied to humans, and evolutionary psychology. Gould was known by the general public mainly from his 300 popular essays in the magazine Natural History, and his books written for a non-specialist audience.In April 2000, the US Library of Congress named him a "Living Legend". (see more...) On this day...
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CategoriesTopicsGeneral - Paleontology - Fossil - Evolution - Extinction Quality ContentFeatured paleontology articles - Achelousaurus- Acrocanthosaurus- Albertosaurus - Allosaurus - Amargasaurus- Ankylosaurus- Apatosaurus- Archaeopteryx - Baryonyx- Carnotaurus- Catopsbaatar- Ceratosaurus- Chicxulub Crater - Compsognathus- Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event - Daspletosaurus - Deinocheirus- Deinonychus - Deinosuchus - Dilophosaurus- Dinosaur - Diplodocus - Dromaeosauroides- Edmontosaurus- Elasmosaurus- Giganotosaurus- Gorgosaurus - Herrerasaurus- Iguanodon - Istiodactylus- Lambeosaurus - List of dinosaur genera - Majungasaurus - Massospondylus - Megalodon- Nemegtomaia- Nigersaurus- Opisthocoelicaudia- Paranthodon- Parasaurolophus - Plateosaurus- Psittacosaurus - Seorsumuscardinus- Spinosaurus- Stegosaurus - Stegoceras- Styracosaurus - Tarbosaurus - Thescelosaurus - Triceratops - Tyrannosaurus - Velociraptor Things you can do
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