Paleontology

The paleontology is the Science which study the remainders Fossile S of the living beings of last and the implications evolutionary of these studies. The first aspect is described as systematic paleontology : its main objective is the development of Phylogénie S on the basis of scientific observation - for the Néophyte, paleontology often stops with this only descriptive part of the Fossile S. the second aspect is described as general paleontology or fundamental : the paleontologists then are interested in the general problems released by the systematic step, with associations between the disappeared and/or current living beings, with their evolutions, in short, with the evolution during the geological times.

Etymology

The word paleontology can be cut out in three terms Greek S:
  • Paleo , of palaios , old;
  • Ontos , life, being;
  • Logie , of logos , study, science.
It thus acts, literally, of “science studying the old life” and more precisely, of the discipline which studies the organizations disappeared having left in the sedimentary grounds remainders from their body or traces from their activities. These remainders or traces are called Fossile S.

Organization

Paleontology is largely multi-field. To make speak the fossils is a complex and analytical work which overflows of the simple observation. Techniques of Chemistry, Physical and the statistics are usually used in addition to the traditional luggage suitable for paleontology, the whole under the disciplinary aegis of the Géologie. However, paleontology remained divided into two principal fields a long time: the Paleozoology which study the animal , and the Paléobotanique which makes in the same way for the vegetable .

It diversifies since the Années 1960 while taking part in basically multi-field approaches, which as many become new and inter-connected disciplines: the Paleoecology, the Paléobiochimie, the Paleoclimatology, the Paleogeography, etc It also recovers many specialities, function in particular of the type of fossil considered: the Micropaléontologie is focused thus on the fossils of microscopic size, the Palynologie studies with particular techniques the microfossiles with organic wall (spores, pollens…), the Paléoichnologie is devoted to the traces left by the animals (tracks, burrows…), the Paléocoprologie being studied of the excrements, etc

Practical

Using the fossils, which one primarily finds in the sedimentary rocks, one tries to reconstitute the living beings such as they were, their environment and to determine the time to which they lived.

The observation of the characters prevailing today to draw the conclusions on the worlds from yesterday is often used: it is the principle of the Actualisme. With many studies of this kind, one a geological time scale could establish. This scale is cut out of pieces various lengths defined by the organizations present, of the climatic events, etc: era S, period S, time S, stage S.

The study of fossils “human” (kinds Homo and related) uses the same methods as that of paleozoology. It does not constitute of it less one distinct science, the Paléoanthropologie, whose object is the study of the evolution of the Homme; its specialists making a synthesis in knowledge coming from other disciplines like the Anthropology and the Archeology.

Phylogenetic

One of the objectives of paleontology is to reconstitute the history of the evolution by the study of the Synapomorphie S. Cependant, the goal is not never to find the species intermediate between two species because there are thus no structural intermediary-ancestors to find but intermediaries to define. The Archaeopteryx and the Bird X of the secondary era, just like the fish with lungs and well of others, are structural intermediaries. Probabilities of finding real ancestors genealogical chains being negligible in paleontology, one content extremely well structural intermediaries to confirm or cancel them genealogical models .

  • History of Boss taurus

  • History of the Cetacea
  • History of équidés the
  • History of the birds
  • History of the siréniens

Famous paleontologists

Here a more detailed list of the paleontologists present on Wikipédia.

See too

Related articles

External bonds

  • Gigadino.

  • Géopolis-paleontology.
  • Paleontologia, the site of impassioned Paleontology.
  • Objective Ground (Swiss)
  • Blog of one impassioned of Paleontology
  • Gate on the Fossils and Paleontology

Simple: Paleontology

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