Evolution Older species  Newer species

Fossils

What is a fossil? What can fossils tell us? How old are organisms?

What is a fossil? Fossils are the preserved remains of an organism that lived in the past. Remains Imprints Traces

What could this fossil be?

www. Bible.ca

Fossil Finger! The fossil has been replaced with limestone. Sometimes replaced fossils maintain their interior structure. Sometimes they do not. Fortunately, when the fossil was sectioned, we were able to see obvious indications of bone and ligaments. Medical Doctor Dale Peterson of Oklahoma City, OK examined the sectioned specimen by means of x-ray, CT Scan and MRI. He was able to identify joints and to trace tendons throughout the length of the fossil. His expert conclusion is: "There can be no reasonable doubt that this is a fossil finger."

How is a fossil formed? Fossils form when organisms die and become buried in sediments (sediments are particles of soil or rock).

Permineralization & Replacement

Life Sciences & Art?

Life Science & Art?

Carbonization CARBON

Molds & Casts MOLD CAST MOLD

Molds & Casts Observe how molds & casts are made MOLD CAST

Original Material

?

Fossil Jellyfish! Fossil jellyfish from the Cambrian Mt. Simon Sandstone in mid-Wisconsin. These are imprints, up to a meter across, of the bell and its anatomy preserved as the jellyfish were stranded on a shallow tidal sand flat some 525 million years ago. These and other soft-bodied fossils are being studied in Jere Lipps's lab in the Department of Integrative Biology. This work on fossils is combined with molecular sequencing of basal invertebrates to get a clearer understanding of the early evolution of animals.Jere Lipps's labDepartment of Integrative Biology

What in the world are these fossils of?....

What can fossils tell us? -They can tell us about extinct species Extinct – no members of the species are still alive. -They can tell us about how people lived in the past…

Fossil Hammer! Max Han was fishing with his family near London, TX when he found a rock with wood protruding from it. When the rock was cracked open, this octagonally shaped iron hammer was exposed. The wood handle is partially coalifed with quartz and calcite crystalline inclusions. Tests performed at Battelle Laboratory document the hammer’s unusual metallurgy, 96% iron, 2.6% chlorine and.74% sulfur (no carbon). Density test indicate casting of exceptional quality. A unique coating of FeO, which does not readily form under present atmospheric conditions, appears to inhibit rusting.

Where can you find the oldest (and smelliest) clothes? Where can you find the newest (not-so-smelly) clothes?

Insect Fossils mil. year old insect fossils discovered inside Peruvian amber rocks They were trapped for over 12 million years: Paleontologists discovered phorid flies, booklice and mites enclosed in amber rocks lying on the shores of the Amazon River. The pre-historic animals were preserved in very good condition. Amber can be found in Europe - the Baltic Sea coastline in Germany and Scandinavia and the Alps for example-, in the near orient, and in quite a few jewelry boxes. In the southern hemisphere however this fossil resin is pretty rare. Now paleontologists stumbled over such a treasure in Peru. A team led by Pierre-Olivier Antoine of the French "Centre national de la recherche scientifique" found the amber rocks with insect and spiders inside near the Peruvian Amazon city Iquitos. The tiny animals lived million years ago he scientists told the US journal "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences". After examining the rocks with the help of optical microscopes, members of 13 different hexapod species were found (arachnid class), next to pollen, tiny fungi and algae. All fossils stem from the Miocene epoch that extends from about 23 to 5.3 million years before the present. "In South America there are only three locations where amber from the Miocene was found", Antoine and his colleagues from Patagonia, Brazil and French-Guiana explained. Their discovery is not only important because of its rarity but also because its variety of fossils and organisms. In addition, the findings are proof that the tropical rain forest was a timely eco-system with high biodiversity during the Miocene era.

Fossil Plants St. Clair, Pennsylvania Pennsylvanian Period (300 mya) Llewellyn Formation. The slate here is jet black and the detailed plant fossils are white providing a strong contrast which adds to the beauty of the fossil. The fossils here comprise of plants (ferns) and trees.