paleontology (pā'lēəntŏl`əjē) [Gr.,= study of early beings], science of the life of past geologic periods based on fossil remains. Knowledge of the existence of fossils fossil, remains or imprints of plants or animals preserved from prehistoric times by the operation of natural conditions. Fossils are found in sedimentary rock, asphalt deposits, and coal and sometimes in amber and certain other materials.
..... Click the link for more information. dates back at least to the ancient Greeks, who appear to have regarded them as the remains of various mythological creatures. Because few fossils are found in rock older than the late Precambrian era Precambrian era, name of a major division of geologic time (see Geologic Timescale , table), from c.5 billion to 570 million years ago. It is often divided into the Archeozoic and Proterozoic; in other countries, the Precambrian is broken into other divisions,
..... Click the link for more information. paleontology is generally concerned with only the past 600 million years. Although paleontology deals with early forms of life, it is usually treated as a part of geology geology, science of the earth's history, composition, and structure, and the associated processes. It draws upon chemistry, biology, physics, astronomy, and mathematics (notably statistics) for support of its formulations.
..... Click the link for more information. rather than of biology biology, the science that deals with living things. It is broadly divided into zoology , the study of animal life, and botany , the study of plant life. Subdivisions of each of these sciences include cytology (the study of cells), histology (the study of tissues),
..... Click the link for more information. , as the environment of the animals and plants cannot be properly understood and reconstructed without knowledge of the age, structure, and composition of the rocks in which their remains are found. In addition, fossil evidence is often used for the establishment of the ages of rock strata. Micropaleontology, the study of microscopic fossils, is especially important for the recognition of subsurface strata in drilling for petroleum. The field of paleontology is often divided into paleobotany, the study of ancient plants (also known as paleophytology); palynology, which focuses on ancient spores, pollen, and microorganisms; and paleozoology, the study of ancient animals, which can further be broken down into invertebrate (no backbones, e.g., clams) or vertebrate (with backbone, e.g., dinosaurs) studies. Paleontology as a science separate from geology dates from the 19th cent., especially from the work of French naturalist Georges Cuvier Cuvier, Georges Léopold Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert, Baron
..... Click the link for more information. on fossils and from the publication of the evolutionary hypothesis of Charles Darwin Darwin, Charles Robert, 1809–82, English naturalist, b. Shrewsbury; grandson of Erasmus Darwin and of Josiah Wedgwood . He firmly established the theory of organic evolution known as Darwinism .
..... Click the link for more information. .

Bibliography

See U. N. Lanham, The Bone Hunters (1973); S. J. Gould, The History of Paleontology (1980); R. M. Black, The Elements of Paleontology (1989); S. Parker, Practical Paleontologist (1991).

paleontology

or palaeontology

Scientific study of life of the geologic past, involving analysis of plant and animal fossils preserved in rocks. It is concerned with all aspects of the biology of ancient life forms: their shape and structure, evolutionary patterns, taxonomic relationships with each other and with modern species, geographic distribution, and interrelationships with the environment. Paleontology has played a key role in reconstructing the Earth's history and has provided evidence to support the theory of evolution. Data from paleontologic studies have also aided petroleum geologists in locating deposits of oil and natural gas, which are frequently associated with the remains of certain ancient life forms.

paleontology [‚pāl·ē·ən′täl·ə·jē]

(biology)

The study of life of the past as recorded by fossil remains.

paleontology (redirected from Paleontologists)

Bibliography

paleontology

paleontology
(redirected from Paleontologists)