A brief HISTORY OF PALEONTOLOGY GEOL 3213

PRE-1750: PRE-SCIENTIFIC PERIOD Aristotle a few hundred years B.C. Founder of the science of biology Originated the “type” concept Believed in the immutability of species Made a crude hierarchical classification of organisms Wrote about genera and species Noahan flood (for some people) accounted for fossils & extinctions Dark Ages: 5th century to about 14th century Scientific explanations of the natural world considered unacceptable because of church opposition and political power "Magical interpretations" "Plastic forces“ “Devil’s doings” Some correct interpretations of fossils and strata Leonardo Da Vinci

1750-1850: EARLY SCIENTIFIC PERIOD Linne's classification (revolutionized biology in mid-1700's) Followed Aristotle’s type concept, improved on his hierarchical classification scheme, & used genus & species Fossils became recognized correctly more often than before Practical concepts & applications being discovered by pioneers Principles (Hutton) & 1st geol textbook (Lyell) Correlation & age dating (Wm. Smith & others) Paleoenvironmental interpretations (d’Orbigny & others) Geologic time scale (Sedgwick, Murchison, etc.) Earth history (= Historical geology developed, many workers) Debates & controversies Evolution versus Catastrophism & Special Creation Cuvier vs. Lamarck Beginnings of paleobotany, vertebrate paleontology, invertebrate paleontology, micropaleontology, paleoecology Descriptive phase dominant

1850-1900: MIDDLE SCIENTIFIC PERIOD Darwin's theory of evolution (early 1850's + 1858 & 1859) shook biology by its roots. Concept of natural selection caused a scientific revolution. Not enough fossils known to support him. More fossils became better known Vertebrate Invertebrate Microfossils (dating aquifers from well cuttings, Vienna, 1877) Plants 1st paleontology textbook Evolution was becoming better documented with fossils Descriptive phase continued to dominate work Generalizations or principles were being developed

1900 to Mid 20th Century Genetic theory developed in biology From the turn of the century Mendel's laws (1865) rediscovered Biological interest in fossils increased Evolutionary histories of invertebrate fossils documented Evolutionary concepts evaluated more with vertebrate fossils Practical applications of paleontology to resource exploration Micropaleontology matured early in century with Foraminifera Udden (1911), Augustina College, Illinois, correlated aquifers with microfossils Udden, Texas Bur. Econ. Geol., used microfossils to find Petroleum Many other workers followed his lead worldwide Faunal descriptions and documenting new species still dominant

Mid-1900's to 2003: MODERN PERIOD New & more sophisticated practical applications of paleontology Much more emphasis on principles of paleontology (many new textbooks) Greater biological interest in fossils (Paleobiology) Ichnology expanded and developed as a subdiscipline Paleoecology matured as a subdiscipline Greater evolutionary interest in fossils (punctuated equilibrium theory of Elldredge & Gould, cladistic analysis of Hennig) Literary explosion Micropaleontology diversified (ostracodes, diatoms, pollen, dinoflagellates, coccoliths, dinoflagellates, etc., not just forams ) Popular paleontology boomed Hobyists = collectors, amateurs Media sensationalism Vertebrate emphasis, especially dinosaurs Asteroid impacts and extraterrestrial causes of extinctions Declining # of professional paleontologists - inspite of popularity.

Epilogue: CONTEMPORARY PALEONTOLOGY 1) Emphasizes less memorization (Really!) 2) More general biology, soft anatomy, & ecology emphasized 3) Is more hypothesis, problem solving, & principles oriented 4) Developing more interdisciplinary & quantitative studies 5) Taxonomy still considered fundamental Documents diversity and evolution of life, etc... Represents Evolving concepts of evolutionary pathways Reflects & guides philosophical approaches to classification Value of any fossil (in any application) Directly proportional to the quality of identification, location, age, etc. Poorly identified fossils result in inaccurate or erroneous applications, conclusions… 6) Well located fossils (geography & stratigraphy) important to Age-dating & correlations Paleoecology & paleoenvironmental studies Evolutionary studies Other practical applications

CONTEMPORARY PALEONTOLOGY 7) Three main, interrelated fronts: Paleobiology & evolution Paleoenvironments (strata) & paleoecology (organisms) Biostratigraphy (age of fossils & enclosing strata) 8) Interdisciplinary (more in some subdisciplines) Vertebrate paleontology is more zoological (in Bio Depts) Paleobotany is more botanical (in Bot or Bio Depts) Invertebrate paleontology is more geological (in Geo Depts) Micropaleontology is more geological (in Geo Depts) Invertebrate and Micropaleontology are more applied, need more geological information, & stress the biology less. Biology & botany stress nonmarine organisms But most fossils are found in marine sedimentary rocks, so that there is a strong oceanographic orientation

CONTEMPORARY PALEONTOLOGY Examples of multidisciplinary studies Geochemical studies of isotopes & trace elements in skeletons, especially calcareous Foraminifera Sophistocated mathematical analysis of fossil data Multivariate statistics Cluster and factor analyses Numerical taxonomy replaced by cladistic analysis Skeletal mineralogy and microstructures Functional morphological studies Paleobiogeography and plate tectonics Paleoclimatological studies Sedimentary basin analysis Facies & paleoenvironments Correlation & age determination Thermal maturation studies in HC exploration (conodonts)

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