Palaeontology is the study of fossilised organisms, the remains of extinct life forms. Through fossils and various traces of biological activity, palaeontologists derive insights into life in the past. Consequently, palaeontology is a science that intersects both geology and biology.
When the organic origin of fossils gained acceptance in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, scientists faced a crucial question: do fossils belong to contemporary species or to ones that no longer exist? If the latter, what is the relationship between these extinct species and those alive today? One theory suggested that species experience mass extinctions caused by sudden, catastrophic geological events, after which new species appear abruptly. An alternative theory, however, proposed that species evolve gradually over time, with one species transforming into another.
As a result, are we observing catastrophism or evolution? What can the fossils embedded in the Earth reveal about our planet’s distant history? This section offers some answers to these compelling questions.
Palaeontology is the study of fossilised organisms, the remains of extinct life forms. Through fossils and various traces of biological activity, palaeontologists derive insights into life in the past. Consequently, palaeontology is a science that intersects both geology and biology.
When the organic origin of fossils gained acceptance in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, scientists faced a crucial question: do fossils belong to contemporary species or to ones that no longer exist? If the latter, what is the relationship between these extinct species and those alive today? One theory suggested that species experience mass extinctions caused by sudden, catastrophic geological events, after which new species appear abruptly. An alternative theory, however, proposed that species evolve gradually over time, with one species transforming into another.
As a result, are we observing catastrophism or evolution? What can the fossils embedded in the Earth reveal about our planet’s distant history? This section offers some answers to these compelling questions.