Are these fossils? (yes)
Roy Plotnick has a new post over on Medium. In this one, he gives some great tips for those occasions when you're out on a walk and find a rock and hope it's a fossil.
You are walking along a creek bed when you see an oddly shaped and colored rock. You pick it up and think “this must be a fossil!” So, you immediately take a few fuzzy photos, email them to a professional paleontologist whose name you found online, and ask them to identify it. Maybe they will also tell how old it is and if it is worth anything! And just to be careful, you don’t tell them where you found it, except that “it was in a creek bed near my house.” I am here to tell you that when the paleontologist responds, they will applaud your curiosity, but inform you that you have not given anywhere near enough information to make any kind of identification. Like when you go to the doctor or auto mechanic, the more information you have ready in advance, the better the interaction. So, as a service to both interested members of the public and my fellow paleontologists, here are some suggestions of what to so before you seek a professional opinion.
Oh and if you haven't heard... Roy has a new book out. It's called "Explorers of Deep Time - Paleontologists and the History of Life". You can find it on Columbia University Press.
Paleontology is one of the most visible yet most misunderstood fields of science. Children dream of becoming paleontologists when they grow up. Museum visitors flock to exhibits on dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. The media reports on fossil discoveries and new clues to mass extinctions. Nonetheless, misconceptions abound: paleontologists are assumed only to be interested in dinosaurs, and they are all too often imagined as bearded white men in battered cowboy hats.
Roy Plotnick provides a behind-the-scenes look at paleontology as it exists today in all its complexity. He explores the field’s aims, methods, and possibilities, with an emphasis on the compelling personal stories of the scientists who have made it a career. Paleontologists study the entire history of life on Earth; they do not only use hammers and chisels to unearth fossils but are just as likely to work with cutting-edge computing technology. Plotnick presents the big questions about life’s history that drive paleontological research and shows why knowledge of Earth’s past is essential to understanding present-day environmental crises. He introduces readers to the diverse group of people of all genders, races, and international backgrounds who make up the twenty-first-century paleontology community, foregrounding their perspectives and firsthand narratives. He also frankly discusses the many challenges that face the profession, with key takeaways for aspiring scientists. Candid and comprehensive, Explorers of Deep Time is essential reading for anyone curious about the everyday work of real-life paleontologists.
