Monday, January 12, 2015

I’m hot for the Paleo

Paleostatistics?  Oh yeah, I’m as giddy as a priest on Sunday! 

“Paleo” comes from the Greek adjective ‘palaios’ meaning "old."   Paleontology investigates the whole history of life on our good Earth by studying ancient living organisms through fossils. 

Micropaleontology deals with all microscopic fossil organisms. 

I love geochemical evidence yo!  I swoon at the thought of molecular phylogenetics, aka molecular systematics.  Molecular phylogenetics is the use of the structure of molecules to gain information on an organism's evolutionary relationships.  Oh such joy the paleosciences bring to my life:
Paleoecology uses data from fossils and subfossils to reconstruct the ecosystems of the past. 

Palaeohydrology deals with the study of the ancient movement, distribution and quality of water throughout the Earth. 

Paleobotany deals with the recovery and identification of plant remains from geological contexts.  And we all know how much I love the geology! 

Paleoxylology is the study of fossil wood.

Paleopalynology deals with the study of ancient pollen and spores.

Paleoclimatology deals with history of Earth's climate and the mechanisms that have changed it. 

So much ‘paleo,’ so little time!

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