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Fossils
Fossils in Time
Background
Our planet has a very long history, but humans
have only been around a tiny fraction of this time to observe it.
How can we learn about the earth during times long past?
Paleontologists are scientists who study the ancient past, using
clues that have been left behind. These clues are preserved as
fossils - evidence of ancient life forms that are no longer living,
including dinosaurs, plants, insects, fish, birds, reptiles, and
mammals.
Fossils are not found everywhere. They are
found in particular types of rocks that were laid down during
different times in the past. By studying both the fossils and the
rocks where they have been found, paleontologists can learn a
great deal about what our planet was like and what lived during those different times in the past.
The National Park Service preserves within its
parks many areas where fossils are found. By creating parks, the
Park Service can protect the rocks where the fossils are found and
any other fossils that are still buried there. In this way, the
fossil record is preserved for us to continue to study fossils,
dinosaurs and the past of our shared planet earth. And the parks
are open for all of us to visit and to learn from.
Scientists searching for
dinosaurs in Alaska
have found fossilized bones and even footprints left behind in
ancient mud turned to stone. But nearly all of these discoveries
were made on Alaska's North Slope. That changed late in the summer
of 2001, when Texas paleontologist Dr. Anthony Fiorillo made a remarkable
discovery in southwest Alaska. Join Doug Sneider as he interviews
Dr. Fiorillo for the
Arctic Science Journeys radio show.
The written transcript is also available.
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