Misconceptions: What Are Fossils?

We use fossils to compare and contrast how and organism has evolved over a long period of time and how it has adapted to new changes.

Fossils are the remains of either a plant or animal that lived in prehistoric times, the fossil is usually found preserved into rock. Fossils show us the steps of evolution that life has taken until today. When we trace fossil records back we can start to understand how species have progressed and what they appeared to look like. We can then compare (if the species still exists) what changes they have undertaken by using the fossils as a source. From that proof we can also compare the prehistoric biota with modern day biota and consider possible relatives. As well as being a window to the past, the remains of flora and fauna let us predict how Australian biota may evolve in future.

Paleontology or paleobiology is the study of plant, animal, and microorganism fossils found on the earth. Paleobotany focuses on algae, fungi, mosses, ferns, seed plants

From both the title of the chapter and the introduction by Dr. Shubin, this chapter begins with a focus on teeth. Because the function of teeth is to break down food before it enters the esophagus, the different shapes of teeth can represent many different things about the organism it belongs to including what type of eater it was (carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore). Teeth are the hardest tissue (not bone) in the human body and therefore fossilize well. As Dr. Shubin stated in chapter one, there must be many points that permit a fossil to make any kind of scientific conclusion. Obviously, the state of their presence is important, so the fact that teeth preserve well allows for them to be great specimens for analysis. Dr. Shubin and his team analyzed fossilized teeth in areas as different as Nova Scotia and the Arizona desert. Studying different fossils in these diverse regions allowed the team to see that mammalian and reptilian teeth are very different. For example, mammalian teeth differ from organism to organism to fit with the organisms need (Cheetahs that eat only meat will have different teeth than deer who are herbivores) and are replaced only once in the lifetime of the organism while reptilian teeth are usually sharp and are constantly replaced if damaged. These differences allowed scientists to characterize fossils as either a reptile or a mammal. Similar to Tiktaalik discussed in chapter one, the discovery of fossils that were part reptile and part mammal allowed the researchers to see that mammals evolved from reptiles, and further supported the theory of evolution. Further studies yielded even more

Layers of soil are laid down on dead animals or plants embalming them. The minerals replace the organic matter creating the fossil.

Fossilization is the process where bones evolve into fossils and preserve in different environments that help to sustain ossein. Some environments include permafrost, amber, peat, dry air, or within sedimentary rocks. There are several different ways that fossils can be classified; this includes original, replacement, carbon film, and indirect fossils. ‘Original fossils for when part of the organism is preserved, with chemical composition being about the same as it was when it was living’ (Pearson Science, 2018). ‘A replacement fossil forms when a part of the organism is chemically changed into another mineral. Replacement fossils commonly form when the calcium carbonate found in shells and bony skeletons turn into another mineral such as silica, also called silicon dioxide’ (Pearson Science,

(B) - The recognizable remains of a plant or animal are known as fossils. Unlike artifacts, fossils are not made by man and instead come from living things. Those who study fossils are known as paleontologists. The word “fossil” comes from the Latin word “fossilis”, which means “found by digging”.

There is a common misconception that fossil fuels come from dead dinosaurs, and while this is not actually true, fossil fuels do come from dead plans and animals, however they were dead long before the dinosaurs roamed the earth (U.S. Department of Energy). The type of animal and plant, as well as the varied combinations these could create, determine the type of fossil fuel that was formed (U.S. Department of Energy): oil, natural gas, or coal. The EIA defines fossil fuels as “concentrated organic compounds found in the Earth’s crust” (Fossil Fuels). This means that fossil fuels are formed when

There is a common misconception that fossil fuels come from dead dinosaurs, and while this is not actually true, fossil fuels do come from dead plans and animals, however they were dead long before the dinosaurs roamed the earth (U.S. Department of Energy). The type of animal and plant, as well as the varied combinations these could create, determine the type of fossil fuel that was formed (U.S. Department of Energy): oil, natural gas, or coal. The EIA defines fossil fuels as “concentrated organic compounds found in the Earth’s crust” (Fossil Fuels). This means that fossil fuels are formed when

Fossils provide a record of how organisms have evolved overtime, as they contain the remains of life trapped in sediment, ice or amber and preserved for over millions of years. Transitional fossils, which provide evidence for evolutionary change, have features that show the transition of characteristics of organisms from ancestors to descendents. An example is Archaeopteryx, which featured reptilian features, including teeth and skeleton, however, also had feathers and a wishbone sternum (used to attach muscles for flying). The evidence of the fossil shows the evolutionary transition between dinosaurs and

Second, the author thinks that business in selling the fossils, reduce the access of scientists to these fossils as a great source of scientific evidence, but the professor explains that all fossils need scientific evaluation by scientists for price marking, so all fossils are

Contradictory to what many people believe, fossil fuels are not dead dinosaur remains. “In fact, most of the fossil fuels we find today were formed millions of years before the first dinosaurs” (“Fossil Energy: How Fossil Fuels Were Formed,” n.d.). They were formed from prehistoric plants and animals that lived many millions of years ago and are considered non-renewable because they are not sustainable and cannot be easily replaced due to their formation taking billions of years. “When these ancient living things died, they decomposed and became buried under layers and layers of mud, rock, and sand. Eventually, hundreds and sometimes thousands of feet of earth covered them” (“Fossil Energy: How Fossil Fuels Were Formed,” n.d.). In some

Introduction: Fossils are defined as a physical trace or evidence of life from a prior geological time period which has been preserved. Examples of fossils include burrows, indentations or bite marks, footprints or other impressions, coprolites, hard animal body parts such as bone, shells or horns or mineralized plant remains embedded in stratified rock.

Plant fossils and trilobites are often found as casts and molds. Most molds and casts do not contain the actual remains of an organism. Shells, bone, and wood often form as molds or casts. Dinosaur footprints can also be classified as mold fossils. Shells can make an imprint in sand, and under certain conditions such an imprint might be preserved and then filled in. Trace fossils can form if two conditions are met. First, the activity has to take place in a material that will hold its form (like mud or clay). Second, the evidence of the activity has to be well preserved (often by being buried quickly). Common activities that are captured in time as these conditions are met include walking and running (footprint fossils), burrowing (organisms homes can be frozen in time through petrification), and defecating. The animals speed, length of stride, and whether they walked on two or four legs. The bones structure of the foot and the stalking behavior (a carnivore hunting a herd of herbivores).The existence of dinosaur herds and stampedes. How the tail is carried (few tail tracks have been found, so tails were probably held above the ground). Speed, the length of stride and whether they walked on two or four

     Another problem comes up when you talk about fossils. If the world is millions and billions of years old, there would be fossils at lots of different archeological levels. Archeologists have found that most fossils are found at the same level, which would mean that some huge natural disaster happened and killed millions of animals at one time. The Bible mentions of a great flood that wiped out millions of animals and humans. This again proves evolution wrong.