Portal:Paleontology

edit   Introduction Trilobite (Kolihapeltis), Early Devonian (c. 400 million years old), Morocco. Paleontology, palaeontology or palæontology (from Greek: παλαιό (palaio), "old, ancient"; όν (on), "being"; and logos, "speech, thought") is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised faeces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Modern paleontology sets ancient life in its context by studying how long-term physical changes of global geography paleogeography and climate paleoclimate have affected the evolution of life, how ecosystems have responded to these changes and have adapted the planetary environment in turn and how these mutual responses have affected today's patterns of biodiversity. Hence, paleontology overlaps with geology (the study of rocks and rock formations) as well as with botany, biology, zoology and ecology – fields concerned with life forms and how they interact. The major subdivisions of paleontology include paleozoology (animals), paleobotany (plants) and micropaleontology (microfossils). Paleozoologists may specialise in invertebrate paleontology, which deals with animals without backbones or in vertebrate paleontology, dealing with fossils of animals with backbones, including fossil hominids (paleoanthropology). Micropaleontologists study microscopic fossils, including organic-walled microfossils whose study is called palynology. There are many developing specialties such as paleobiology, paleoecology, ichnology (the study of tracks and burrows) and taphonomy (the study of what happens to organisms after they expire). Major areas of study include the correlation of rock strata with their geologic ages and the study of evolution of lifeforms. (see more...) edit   On this day... July 28: 1823 - Gaston de Saporta was born in Saint-Zacharie, France. 1840 - Edward Drinker Cope was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. 1893 - Edward Charlesworth died at age 79. 1914 - Joseph T. Gregory was born in Eureka, California, USA. 1937 - Frederic Brewster Loomis died of a brain hemorrhage in Sitka, Alaska, USA. More anniversaries... edit   Selected article on the prehistoric world and its legacies Protomycena is an extinct monotypic genus of gilled fungus in the Mycenaceae family, of order Agaricales. At present it contains the single species Protomycena electra, known from a single specimen collected in an amber mine in the Cordillera Septentrional area of the Dominican Republic. The fruit body of the fungus has a convex cap that is 5 mm (0.2 in) in diameter, with distantly spaced gills on the underside. The curved stipe is smooth and cylindrical, measuring 0.75 mm (0.030 in) thick by 10 mm (0.39 in) long, and lacks a ring. It resembles extant (currently living) species of the genus Mycena. Protomycena is one of only five known agaric fungus species known in the fossil record and the second to be described from Dominican amber. (see more...) edit   Selected article on paleontology in human science, culture and economics Jurassic Park III is a 2001 American science fiction adventure monster film. It is the third installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and a sequel to the 1997 film The Lost World: Jurassic Park. It is the series' first film that was not directed by Steven Spielberg nor based on a book by Michael Crichton (though numerous scenes in the film were ultimately taken from Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World). The film takes place on Isla Sorna, off Central America's Pacific coast, the island featured in the second film, where a divorced couple has tricked Dr. Alan Grant into going in order to help them find their son. After the success of Spielberg's Jurassic Park, Joe Johnston expressed interest in directing a sequel, a film adaptation of The Lost World. Spielberg instead gave Johnston permission to direct the third film in the series, if there were to be one. Production of Jurassic Park III began on August 30, 2000. Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews, with many praising the visual effects and action scenes but finding the plot clichéd and unoriginal. Despite being less well-received than the previous films, Jurassic Park III was a box office success, grossing $368 million worldwide. (see more...) edit   Did you know? ... that microbial mats increase our understanding of evolution by helping to preserve soft-bodied organisms and soft parts of hard-shelled animals? ... that the fossil bee Anthophorula persephone is named for a Greek goddess? ...that the discovery of Icadyptes salasi, a prehistoric five-foot-tall penguin in Peru, has caused scientists to reconsider the timeline of penguin evolution? ... that the Cretaceous snakefly Necroraphidia arcuata takes its name, in part, from the Latin word for "bent" and the Greek word for "dead"? ... that the fossil maple Acer taurocursum is named for its type locality, the "Bull Run flora"? ... that the extinct ant Aphaenogaster sommerfeldti was first described in 1868? ... that the late Miocene whale Joumocetus shimizui is the third oldest Cetotheriid known? ... that paleontologist Gerta Keller theorizes that dinosaurs did not become extinct until 300,000 years after the Chicxulub meteor, though she agrees that "I'm sure the day after, they had a headache"? ... that a petroleum geologist named William Warren Orcutt began collecting fossils from the La Brea Tar Pits in 1901, bringing the site to the attention of the scientific community? ... that the extinct maple Acer ivanofense is known from four Alaskan fossils? edit   Selected picture A mounted replica skeleton of the Middle Triassic dicynodontid Tetragonias njalilus from Tanzania. The mount is on display at the Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde in Karlsruhe, Germany. Photo credit: H. Zell edit   Topics General - Paleontology - Fossil - Evolution - Extinction History - History of paleontology - Bone Wars - List of years in paleontology Locations - List of dinosaur-bearing rock formations - List of fossil sites - Como Bluff - Coon Creek Formation - Dinosaur Cove - Dinosaur National Monument - Dinosaur Park Formation - Dinosaur State Park and Arboretum - Glen Rose Formation - Hell Creek Formation - Lance Formation - Morrison Formation - Red Gulch Dinosaur Tracksite - Two Medicine Formation Paleontologists - Mary Anning - Robert T. Bakker - Barnum Brown - William Buckland - Edward Drinker Cope - Jack Horner - Gideon Mantell - Othniel Charles Marsh - John Ostrom - Dong Zhiming Geologic Time - Paleozoic Era - Cambrian (Early Cambrian - Middle Cambrian - Furongian) - Ordovician (Early Ordovician - Middle Ordovician - Late Ordovician) - Silurian (Llandovery - Wenlock - Ludlow - Pridoli) - Devonian (Early Devonian - Middle Devonian - Late Devonian) - Carboniferous (Mississippian - Pennsylvanian) - Permian (Cisuralian - Guadalupian - Lopingian) - Mesozoic Era - Triassic (Early Triassic - Middle Triassic - Late Triassic) - Jurassic (Early Jurassic - Middle Jurassic - Late Jurassic) - Cretaceous (Early Cretaceous - Late Cretaceous) - Cenozoic Era - Paleogene (Paleocene - Eocene - Oligocene) - Neogene (Miocene - Pliocene) - Quaternary (Pleistocene - Holocene) Fringe and Pseudoscience - Creationist perspectives on dinosaurs - Living dinosaurs Popular Culture - Cultural depictions of dinosaurs - Jurassic Park (novel) - Jurassic Park (film) - Stegosaurus in popular culture -Tyrannosaurus in popular culture - Walking with... edit   Quality Content Featured paleontology articles - Acrocanthosaurus - Albertosaurus - Allosaurus - Archaeopteryx - Chicxulub Crater - Compsognathus - Cretaceous–Tertiary extinction event - Daspletosaurus - Deinonychus - Deinosuchus - Dinosaur - Diplodocus - Gorgosaurus - Iguanodon - Lambeosaurus - List of dinosaurs - Majungasaurus - Massospondylus - Parasaurolophus - Psittacosaurus - Stegosaurus - Styracosaurus - Tarbosaurus - Thescelosaurus - Triceratops - Tyrannosaurus - Velociraptor Good paleontology articles - Abelisauridae - Alioramus - Amphicoelias - Ankylosaurus - "Archaeoraptor" - Batrachotomus - Ceratopsia - Coelurus - Dromaeosauridae - Giganotosaurus - Gryposaurus - Heterodontosauridae - Herrerasaurus - Hypacrosaurus - Kritosaurus - Othnielosaurus - Pachycephalosaurus - Saurolophus - Sauropelta - Scelidosaurus - Species of Allosaurus - Species of Psittacosaurus - Spinosaurus - Tyrannosauroidea edit   Categories ▼ Paleontology ► Paleontology by country ► Subfields of paleontology ► Paleontology awards ► Paleontological concepts and hypotheses ► Economic paleontology ► Fossil record ► History of paleontology ► Paleontological institutions and organizations ► Prehistoric life ► Paleontology lists ► Paleontology media ► Paleontological sites ► Paleontologists ► Paleontology stubs edit   Things you can do Here are some tasks awaiting attention: Article requests : Andrzej Elżanowski - Cañadon Asfalto Formation - Csehbánya Formation - Eijnhoro Formation - Elongatoolithus - Jialingpus - Khukhtek Formation - Malargüe Group - Middle Stubensandstein - oogenus/oospecies - Sânpetru Formation - St. Mary Formation - Udurchukan Formation Expand : Allosaurid - Archaeodontosaurus - Archaeornithomimus - Asiatosaurus - Avemetatarsalia - Bagaraatan - Becklespinax - Cerapoda - Ceratosauria - Club (zoology) - Deinonychosauria - Efraasia - Fukuiraptor - Gastonia (dinosaur) - Graciliraptor - Heterodontosauriformes - Huayangosaurus - Iguanodont - Jiangshanosaurus - Kaijiangosaurus - Koparion - Lexovisaurus - Lukousaurus - Megalosaurid - Mussaurus - Ornithomimoides - Pantydraco - Plateosauridae - Pyroraptor - Quaesitosaurus - Rapator - Santanaraptor - Shanag - Siamotyrannus - Stegosaurides - Stenopelix - Tuojiangosaurus - Urbacodon - Velocipes - Vulcanodon - Vulcanodontidae - Wellnhoferia - Xinjiangovenator - Yunnanosaurus - Youngina - Zalmoxes Stubs : Dinosaur stubs Prehistoric reptile stubs Prehistoric mammal stubs Other : Fabrosaurus (needs references) Current Paleontology FACs - None yet... edit   Related content Time Earth sciences Paleontology Extinct and Endangered Species Paleozoic Mesozoic Cenozoic Dinosaurs edit   Associated Wikimedia What are portals? 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