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Animals & Nature
fossil
paleontology
Category:
Animals & Nature
- Related Topics:
- dinosaur
- Australopithecus
- Homo erectus
- Ardipithecus
- Neanderthal
- On the Web:
- Geosciences LibreTexts - Fossils (Jan. 26, 2024)
Recent News
Jan. 27, 2024, 3:39 AM ET (The Verge)
Fossil is quitting smartwatches
Jan. 24, 2024, 6:54 AM ET (The Guardian)
EU fossil fuel CO2 emissions hit 60-year low
fossil, remnant, impression, or trace of an animal or plant of a past geologic age that has been preserved in Earth’s crust. The complex of data recorded in fossils worldwide—known as the fossil record—is the primary source of information about the history of life on Earth. Only a small fraction of ancient organisms are preserved as fossils, and usually only organisms that have a solid and resistant skeleton are readily preserved. Most major groups of invertebrate animals have a calcareous skeleton or shell (e.g., corals, mollusks, brachiopods, bryozoans). Other forms have shells of calcium phosphate (which also occurs in the ...(100 of 970 words)