Questions tagged [fossil]
A fossil (from Classical Latin fossilis; literally, "obtained by digging") is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age.
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Injuries inflicted to Tyrannosaurus by Triceratops
I encountered this YouTube video:
YouTube video by ExtinctZoo
The video presents Triceratops as the only dinosaur documented to injure a Tyrannosaurus (excluding other T. rex individuals). ...
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Largest crinoid species
On the wikipedia page of crinoids (sea lilies and feather stars), one can find the following statement in the paragraph "Morphology":
[...] and fossil species are known with 20 m (66 ft) ...
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Is this part of a claw to a Dinosaur?
Agitzed claw 1 large and 1 smaller underneath. What I found is about 4" long and about 3/4" in diameter which gets smaller towards the tip. Underneath it appears to be another small claw ...
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What species does this tooth belong to and how old could it be?
As far as I can tell, this is a single rooted tooth. I suspect (or hope because it would be very cool) it being pretty old, since it is so dark in colour. It is not very pointy, so it doesn´t look ...
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Does This Rock Contain A Fossil?
A couple of months ago I came across a rock which has suspicious insertions in it. It was found in southern Spain, more specificaly hiking near Zahara de la Sierra (coordinates are provided: 36.830427,...
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Is there a database for fossilized coral reefs that have been reported?
Given that coral lives only up to 5,000 years, and I assume marine biologists have maps of where all known living reefs are around the world for research and monitoring, where can I find information ...
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Estimates for the volume and mass of most ancestral multicellular organism, and a similar question for alive animals with radial symmetry
please I'm interested in an estimate for the volume and weight, the mass, of (most) ancestral multicellular organisms. Wikipedia has the article Multicellular organism, and my main interest are ...
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Help identifying possible fossil found in coastal northern Iran
This was found in Jangels near by the sea, in North Iran:
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Fossil identification
I recently found a fossil which I am unable to identify. I believe it's a sea creature, but I don't know what kind. my best guess is some kind of shell or a porpita.
I appreciate any help.
this is the ...
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What does this jawbone belong to?
I found this specimen in a rock garden near St. Louis Mo. I believe it to be the posterior portion af a lower mandible of a mammal. The photos I am including seem to me to show;b[!broken teeth, ]2:...
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Were the Francevillian biota real?
The announced discovery of macrofossils suggestive of large multicellular organisms 2.1 Ga ago is now over ten years old.
Is there by now a scientific consensus whether these constitute real fossils ...
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The largest Triceratops specimen
Almost every dinosaur book writes that Triceratops maximal length was about 9 meters (29.5-30 ft), see for example Thomas R. Holtz's dinosaur genus list 2011. My question is what specimen is the base ...
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Is this a fossil?
My neighbor found this rock and asked for help identifying it as a fossil. Can anyone confirm that it is/isn't a fossil? If it is, what it is a fossil of?
It was found near Lexington, VA, USA, on ...
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What is this fossilized claw found in a Belgian forest?
What is this fossilized claw found in a Belgian forest? It is 14.5 cm long and 2.5 cm in diameter.
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DNA of Different Species and The Fossil Record of Their Common Ancestor
Let me please be clear about something. I believe in evolution. The evidence and data are compelling and conclusive which makes it a very well-established theory.
I'm seeking a certain evidence (if ...
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Is bacillus strain 2-9-3 really 250 million year old?
I've read that in the last decade (I believe) some scientists discovered a microorganism, which they dubbed bacillus strain 2-9-3, in a crystal of salt that they think is 250 million years old and ...
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How do carbon 13:12 ratios confirm the biological origin of oldest microfossils?
I was reading this article about how Schopf and Valley’s findings in 2017 confirmed that the 3.5 billion–year-old microfossils found in the Apex chert of Western Australia are indeed remnants of ...
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Is this an imprint of a fossil?
I found this stone in the arizona desert. Sort of far from humans on the side of a Butte
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Simple and inexpensive geobiochemical studies [closed]
I plan to write a research proposal for conducting a small experiment related to geobiochemistry. I aim to make the experiment:
1) Simple (middle school aged students could comprehend its main ideas),...
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What is this row of pits along the "upper lip" of theropod skulls?
Consider the row of pits visible in the "upper lip" area (and to some extent, the "lower lip" too) of this T-Rex skull at the Palais de la Découverte, Paris (picture from Wikipedia):
I noticed ...
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What could explain discrepancies between dates provided by the fossil record vs. the molecular clock?
I am studying a mud snail genus called Ecrobia. For the Caspian species (Ecrobia grimmi), there is a discrepancy between dates provided by the fossil record and the molecular clock:
First appearance ...
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Can we investigate the cell biology of extinct microorganisms?
I know that there are microfossils, but not if we can we know about the organelles, genetics or macromolecules of the cells that left them behind.
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How exactly is the wood fossil process?
I would like to know in deep how exactly is the wood fossilisation process. I am fascinated how after millions of years the fossil wood preserves its microscopic characteristics. Look at this cross ...
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How can paleontologists identify morphologically different fossils as members of the same species?
I recently saw a documentary about Tyrannosaurus rex, which detailed the growth stages of the dinosaur. Apparently, it underwent a huge growth spurt at around 14 years of age, growing into the massive ...
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Are these 3.5B year old fossils the oldest on earth?
The following commentator writes:
Researchers at UCLA and the University of Wisconsin–Madison have confirmed that microscopic fossils discovered in a nearly 3.5 billion-year-old piece of rock in ...
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