Paleontology
http://www.edwardtbabinski.us/


ON-SITE ARTICLES

  • What Is A Fossil?
    A general introduction to the history of fossil discoveries, and the gradual progress of science and paleontology.

  • How A Living Organism Becomes a Fossil
    Taphonomy, the study of how living organisms become fossils, and five natural methods which explain how living organisms become fossils.

  • Fossil History in Europe
    Important milestones in European fossil hunting, including first professional fossil collector, Mary Anning.

  • Major Geological Eons, Eras, Periods and Epochs, and How Fossils Are Used
    Chart of major geological eons, eras, periods, epochs and events. How fossils are used by scientists to determine its relationship with other specimens, with objective to un-ravel evolutionary patterns and origins.

  • Vendian Period and the Origins of Life
    The Vendian World, a look at some of the first life forms that existed on Earth, and theories about the origins of life.

  • "Warm Blooded" Dinosaurs with Feathers
    Four dinosaur fossils with birdlike bones and trace of feathers have been discovered, which may help scientists to better understand if some dinosaurs were warm-blooded. The evidence points to feathers being widespread among the carnivorous dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus Rex.

HISTORICAL ARTICLES

  • Canadian Rockies: A Geologist's Paradise, National Geographic, June 1911
    Charles D. Wolcott, secretary of the Smithsonian visits the Canadian Rockies. A look back to 1911, when science was first discovering the vast age of the earth, rich fossil record, and paleontology was still in its infancy.

Mass Extinctions

Edward T. Babinski: The first billion years of the earth's formation there was no life so far as anyone knows. The earth was being bombarded with debris as it cooled. And the early pre-Cambrian contains no fossilized evidence of even the simplest life forms. Some say that perhaps life or reproducing chemicals formed more than once and were destroyed more than once as asteroids from the early star system continued colliding with earth and the other planets, i.e., before the orbiting ring of matter round the sun had assumed more regular and less dangerous orbits.

From: When Did Mollusks First Appear?

 

The Evolution of Whales

Main Links to North Carolina Sea Shells
Images and Classification

  • Sea Shells Home & Web Rings
  • Atlantic Auger
  • Common Nutmeg
  • Keyhole Limpet
  • Lettered Olive
  • Sea Shells Blog

    By Topic

  • Reproduction Habits
  • When Did Mollusks First Appear? Image of earth's 4 billion year timeline with mass extinctions and variegated animal life as it arose on earth.
  • What's inside Atlantic Augers? Pics of Hermit Crab!
  • Inside the Sand Dollar Images of the sand dollar's internal "doves".
  • Geology at Torrey Pines and San Onofre Photos and footnotes on fossil shells in the West Coast Monterey Shale, San Onofre, Torrey Pines State Beach, contributed by Dave E. Matson (Oak Hill Free Press).
  • Del Mar Formation
    Photos and footnotes at the Del Mar Formation.

  • Marine Education Specialist, Terri K. Hathaway of the North Carolina Sea Grant helps to identify various shell species found on coastal shores of North Carolina...
  • About the Contributors Sally Thomas, Terri Hathaway and Paul Monfils
    MOON SNAILS Naticidae
  • Shark Eye moonsnail, Polinices duplicatus
  • Natica, Moon and Ear Shells
  • Shark Eye Moon Snail
  • Baby's Ear
    VENUS CLAMS Veneridae
  • Crossbar Venus
  • Lady In Waiting Venus
  • Imperial Venus
  • Northern Quahog Venus
    ANGELWINGS Pholadidae
  • Angel Wing
  • Comparison of pholadidae and petricolidae angelwings images
    ANGELWING-SHAPED Petricolidae
  • Fallen Angel Wing
  • Comparison of pholadidae and petricolidae angelwings images
    JACKKNIVES Solenidae
  • Razor Shells, Jackknife Clams
  • Atlantic Jackknife Clams
    JINGLE SHELLS Anomiidae
  • Jingle Shells
    COCKLE-SHAPED (Cardiidae)
  • Spiny Papercockle
    OTHER
  • Gastropods
  • Barnacles, Etc.
  • Elegant Dosinia
  • Humphrey Wentletrap
  • Cross-Hatched Lucine
  • Atlantic Bittersweet
  • Cowry Shell
  • Common Slipper Shell
  • Turkey Wing and Ark Shells
  • Common Coquina
  • Keyhole Limpets
  • Lettered Olive
  • Atlantic Auger
  • Atlantic Calico Scallop

    Permission to use and reproduce images from NC Sea Shells is freely granted for non-profit instructional and educational purposes, with acknowledgement of photo source left intact.

  • Linking with other shell collectors

    REFERENCES
    Bringing Fossils to Life, An Introduction to Paleobiology, McGraw Hill Publishers, Donald R. Prothero

    PaleobotanyPaleobotany and the Evolution of Plants, by Cambridge University Press; 2 edition, Wilson N. Stewart, Gar W. Rothwell

    Kingfisher Illustrated Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Kingfisher Publishers, David Burnie

    FURTHER SUGGESTED READING
    Adrienne Mayor's books
    1) The First Fossil Hunters (Princeton 2000) explains how ancient Greek and Roman discoveries of mysterious petrifed bones of extinct dinosaurs and mastodons led to myths about griffins, giants, and monsters. Watch for "Ancient Monster Hunters" on the History Channel.
    2) Fossil Legends of the First Americans (Princeton 2005) gathers exciting Native American discoveries and myths about fossils, from tiny shells to enormous dinosaur bones, with stories from more than 45 different tribes, beginning with the Aztecs & Incas.

    Stephen Meyer's article, "Are Dinosaurs Mentioned in the Bible?"

    Edward T. Babinski wrote: "In 1726 [Prof. J.J. Scheuchzer] mistook the skull and vertebral column of a large salamander from the Miocene of Oeningen for the "betrübten Beingerüst eines alten Sünders" (sad bony remains of an old human sinner) and figured the specimen as "Homo diluvii testis" (the man who witnessed the Deluge).

    SOURCE: Dirk Albert Hooijer, "Fact and Fiction in Hippopotamology (Sampling the History of Scientific Error)," Osiris, Vol. 10. (1952), pp. 109-116.

    Funny comment about the above sentence: Assertion, emphatic and immune to reason, might not be the best foundation for a new critical practice; but we also can’t tell our salamanders from sinners.



    • Article last updated August 22, 2006
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