fossil remains
Preserved prehistoric evidence
Fossil remains are the preserved traces or physical remnants of organisms from past geological ages—bones, shells, imprints, or mineralized tissues found in rock formations.
The phrase is somewhat redundant, since fossils are by definition remains, but it emphasizes the physical evidence: Fossil remains of early humans were discovered in the cave.
Scientists study fossil remains to reconstruct evolutionary history and ancient ecosystems.
- sedimentationParticles settling in liquid
- stromatolitesLayered sedimentary bacterial structures
- coprolitesFossilized animal excrement
- extinctionComplete vanishing of a species
- mass extinctionLarge-scale species elimination
radiometric dating · carbon dating · deep time · petrified wood · mineralization · paleobiology · adaptation · erosion · phylogeny · microfossils · Burgess Shale · tar pits · stratigraphy · comparative anatomy · Lucy · missing link · deposition · excavation
- prehistorystone tools, Neolithic, Stone Age, caveman, cavemen
fossil remainsliving tissue
Metabolically active cellular material
living organisms · living creatures · living cells · soft tissue · organic matter
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