∞ generated and posted on 2020.12.19 ∞
The study of ancient life as inferred from the remains of that life, with emphasis here on animal evolution.
| The goal of the videos presented here is gain an appreciation of ancient life and how it is studied, i.e., of paleontology. Paleontology involves especially the study of the fossils of extinct species but also can be inferred from the comparative study of still-living (extant) species, in terms of their anatomy but also, today especially, in terms of the sequences of their genomes. |
The above video is one of the best that I have seen discussing both what a fossil is and how they form.
The above video takes a close look at the multiple different types of fossil formation (fossilization) processes.
This video discusses the original discovery of really old – 1.9 billion years old – fossil of cyanobacteria, along with the arguments for why these were indeed thought to be cyanobacteria.
Before the Cambrian Explosion there was the Avalon Explosion.
The above video talks about the chemical characterization of a 560 million year old fossil of something called Dickinsonia.
The above video provides a bit of history of the discovery of the Burgess Shale Cambrian fossils. Warning, though, that this video ever so slightly touches upon Creationism issues.
The above video provides a bit of the biology of Burgess Shale Cambrian fossils. Warning, though, that this video ever so slightly more touches upon Creationism issues.
The above video is more fun than informative, illustrating with computers more or what Cambrian animals might have looked and moved like. Note the nearly ubiquitous use of sponges in the background, as well as the marine snow.
The above video discusses one particular Anomalocarid Cambrian fossil, called Tamisiocaris borealis.
The above video does a nice job of introducing us to a single type of fossil, that of the orthoceras.
The above video describes the complex or at least not terribly well understood evolution of sea turtles.
This is a very wonderful description of the amazingly complete fossilization of a nodosaur's body and skin, species, Borealopelta, a type of dinosaur.
The above video describes an effort to better understand the anatomy of dinosaurs as based on fossil evidence, with emphasis on Tyrannosaurus rex. I think it looks surprisingly like a two-legged hippopotamus. Yes, the video is based on a video game!
The video doesn't look too closely at individual fossils, but does discuss why it is thought that a particularly fossil bed exists, this one of whale and other large marine mammals.
Yes, I do just love whale macroevolution videos.
And everyone loves trilobites, right?