fandomhigh | Paleontology, Jan 11th (7th period)

"Afternoon everyone!" Tommy smiles cheerfully at his students. "Please sign in, and then we'll get started."

"First, a little administrative note. On Wednesdays, you'll get a homework assignment, which I'd like you to bring to class on Monday. Depending on the kind of assignment, I may ask you to get up in front of the class and do a short presentation."

"So I'm sure you all have at least a vague idea of what paleontology is: the study of ancient plants and animals by looking at things called fossils. Paleontology can be divided into three major subdivisions: paleozoology (animals), paleobotany (plants), and micropaleontology (microfossils). Paleozoologists may specialize in invertebrate paleontology, which deals with animals without backbones, or in vertebrate paleontology, dealing with fossils of animals with backbones, including fossil hominids (paleoanthropology). I know, I know, that’s a lot of –ologies, so in this class we'll be focusing just on vertebrate paleontology."

"So, today's question for you is: what's a fossil? What makes a fossil?"

(ooc: threads up!)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sign here, please :)

Molly signs in.

Rory signed in ~~late because her mun is an idiot who got distracted~~.

Janet signed in.

Rose signs in.

Kawalsky signed in.

Yuffie signs in.

*signs on the non-dotted line*

Discuss today's question.

"Fossils are the left over bits, like bones, from things that died a really long time ago." Molly thought for a moment. "Aren't they made when minerals get into the bones or something?"

"That's a good start," Tommy tells Molly, "can fossils be things other than just bones, though?"

Molly thinks for a moment. "Are the dried footprints in mud considered fossils?"

"Yep! A fossil is any sort of mineralized trace of a living thing's existence. So bones, footprints, bits of eggshells, these are all different kinds of fossils that can be found."

"Fossils are the preserved remains of something that used to be alive," Rory supplied. "I think anyway."

"Yes, although fossils aren't neccessarily previously organic matter- footprints, for example, can be fossilised. They're still things left behind by something that used to be alive, so your definition still fits."

"Isn't a fossil created when minerals replace dead or decaying organic matter?" asked Janet.

Tommy nods. "Which makes their creation pretty rare, because the organic matter needs to be covered by sediment as soon as possible in order to stop the decomposition and allow for the fossilisation process to take place."

"So out of everything that's ever existed, what percentage would you say become fossils?" asked Janet. She decided to go with a low number. "Ten percent? Or even less?"

"Well, that's a pretty difficult question to answer, Janet. Only around 100,000 of an estimated 100,000,000 extinct species have been discovered and described. So roughly, 1/10 of 1% of all animal species that have ever lived have been discovered. Which makes it nearly impossible to guess an exact number when it comes to the fossil record."

"Uh, pretty much what everyone else said. Bones and stuff trapped under a lot of pressure so that they go hard and do that fossilizing thing. And stuff like what gets stuck in amber sap too, like mosquitoes, I think."

"Bones, and plants and insects, anything I guess, that gets trapped in mud or something and preserved."

After listening to everyone else Yuffie spoke up. "Well.. if we're going to talk about things like we are, can't fossils just be defined as preserved proof of existance of some aniciet thing, like animals and plants and stuff? So it would includ still like bones and foot-prints and, I don't know, eggshells or imprints of plants, stuff like that."

Age? *listens to everyone else* The type of matter that the object is trapped in?

Your homework for Monday is this: find a picture of a fossil that is especially notable for some reason. All fossils are important, but perhaps this one was the first of it's kind to be discovered, or helped scientists disprove a certain theory. Since this is the first assignment, presentations are voluntary :)

Molly makes a note to get her library card tomorrow and find somewhere with a computer so that she could look online as well.

Archaeopteryx, the first winged dinosaur with feathers. Also, there are pictures of what it may have looked like.

Janet just turns in some pictures. She doesn't feel in the mood for giving a presentation.

Neandertal Bones (http://encarta.msn.com/media_461542835/Neandertal_Bones.html) found in France in 1908. They reinforced the conception of the Neandertal as a
slouching, degenerate human form, though scientists now believe Neandertals were a strongly built and intelligent species.

Need to talk to Dr. Tommy?

Janet approaches Dr. Oliver as the other students are leaving the classroom. "Is there any work from Monday that I need to make up, Dr. Oliver?" she asked.

"Not really... it was just your basic 'welcome to class' day- we just discussed why we're here."

"Oh, good," said Janet. "It's so early in the semester I'd hoped there was no homework, but I wanted to double check. Thanks!"

Just in case.

Can we turn the homework in today in the homework thread instead of having to wait until Monday? I'm a big believer in the "let's get this over with" school of homework. :)

Sure! Unless it's gonna be a presentation (which is really just show-and-tell), but since this is the first week I'm not gonna make anyone presentate ;)

Paleontology, Jan 11th (7th period)

Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Re: Sign in!

Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Re: Discussion!

Homework!

Re: Homework!

Re: Homework!

Re: Homework!

After class!

Re: After class!

Re: After class!

Re: After class!

OOC!

Re: OOC!

Re: OOC!