Fossils -Any evidence or remains of past life.

In December 2013, scientists reported, for the first time, the entire genome of a Neanderthal. The genome was extracted from the toe bone of a 130,000-year-old Neanderthal found in a Siberian cave. According to preliminary sequences, 99.7% of the base pairs of the modern human and Neanderthal genomes are identical, compared to humans sharing around 98.8% of base pairs with the chimpanzee. [5]genomeNeanderthaltoe bone chimpanzee [5]

1) Permineralization – pore spaces are filled with minerals; organic material is replaced. Examples: petrified wood; amber

2) Mold – a hollowed out impression

3) Cast – when a mold becomes filled with minerals or sediments

4) Original Preservation – remains of the actual life form Examples: mammoth preserved by ice; bugs trapped in amber “Ginger Yuka,” baby mammoth from 10,000 years ago; still had organs inside.

Original Preservation

5) Volcanic Ash

6) Tar Pits

An animal must be buried before it decays. Hard parts like bones and shells are most likely to become fossils. Fossils are usually found in sedimentary rocks (but the rock itself is not necessarily the fossil).

Fossils are used to correlate (match) rock layers. Index Fossil – organism that was abundant but only lived during a short time span; used to correlate rock layers Ammonite index fossil from the Devonian.

Correlate the fossils to match the rock layers

Fossil ID Game Prehistoric Animal Game