Mary AnningThe 19th-century British fossil collector Mary Anning proved you don't have to be a paleontologist to contribute to science. Anning was one of the first people to collect, display, and correctly identify the fossils of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs, and pterosaurs. Her contributions to the understanding of Jurassic life were so impressive that in 2010, Anning was named among the 10 British women who have most influenced the history of science.
Unearthing Fossils (Explorer Library: Science Explorer)
Fossil mammals in India were first discovered by British explorers and naturalists in the 1830s and 40s. Hugh Falconer, Proby Cautley, W.E. Baker, and H.M. Durand discovered one of the largest deposits of fossil mammals from the Pliocene and Pleistocene (3.6 million years to 0.6 million years) in the region between the rivers Yamuna and Sutlej. These fossils eventually made their way back to the Natural History Museum in London, and form one of the most important fossil collections in the world. These collections form the basis of my research on the reassessment of the taxonomy of fossil mammals from India, the biogeography of South Asian mammals, and paleocommunity change.
Beginning in the 1860s, French missionary P.A. David started to collect fossil fish from the Mesozoic lake deposits in western Liaoning. These fossils were later named as Lycoptera and are regarded as one of the typical elements of the Jehol Biota, which is now best known for producing many exceptional feathered dinosaurs, birds, and mammals. American geologist and explorer R. Pumpelly was one of the first western scientists to carry out geological surveys in China. He collected many fossils from China from 18631865 and proposed the lacustrine facies of the Chinese loess [4]. German scientist F. Richthofen made extensive geographic and geological explorations in China during 1868 and 1872. He also collected many invertebrate fossils as well as recorded their stratigraphic data in the majority of Chinese provinces.
During the late 19th century and early 20th century, western explorers and scholars also made many scientific expeditions to China. Swedish geographer and explorer S.A. Hedin made several expeditions to western China starting in 1890, and the ancient city of Loulan (Kroraina) in Xinjiang was one of his major discoveries during his voyage across the Taklamakan Desert. Also notable is the Central Asian Expeditions organized by the American Museum of Natural History in 1916 and 1919, which resulted in the discovery of many fossil mammals in Inner Mongolia. In the early 20th century, Russian geologists collected many dinosaur fossils from Heilongjiang, northeastern China, including some duck-billed dinosaurs.
As president of the United States, Jefferson established the same objective for the explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark's expedition to the Northwest as that held by the American Philosophical Society: Learn more about all aspects of America. One of Meriwether Lewis's stops on the westward journey was at Cincinnati, Ohio, where he sent a group of Big Bone Lick fossils to Jefferson (which were lost in transit) and wrote a detailed report of Dr. William Goforth's excavation of the Lick.[2] The return of the explorers in 1808 provided another opportunity for gathering fossils for the Society. Jefferson financed William Clark's return to Big Bone Lick in 1807 to collect mostly head and foot bones missing from the Society's "mammoth" skeleton that Charles Willson Peale was assembling.[3]
How great, your Wonder Wall sounds awesome, Ms. Rudnick's Second Grade Class! Thanks for bringing Wonderopolis into your classroom! :) Tyler, we hope you'll do some research about short face bears, and the fossils that exist. Here is a great place to start: -biggest-bear-largest-giant-short-faced-animals-science/ :)
Hey there, Wonder Friends Meghan and Alyssa! Thanks for sharing your super cool Wonders with us today! It sounds like you've both been interested in exploring history! WAY TO GO! :) Meghan, we Wonder if you have found any fossils in the past few years? It sounds like you're an awesome explorer! Thank you for sharing your predictions for tomorrow, too! :) We hope to Wonder about the past... with you in the future, Alyssa! :)
Good morning, Wonder Friends in Mrs. Hess' Class! Thanks for sharing your comments about today's Wonder-- we have had a great time diggin' in with you! :) Arturo and Shalize, thanks for sharing your comments about what you learned today! We know that many museums feature fossils of all kinds, but it depends on the museum. An art museum may not have a large collection of fossils, but a science and history museum will! :) Gabrielle and Briahna, thanks for telling us about your own connections to today's Wonder! We are glad you've been looking for fossils on your own! You're starting your archaeology career already! :) Briahna, Michelle, Joe, Jake, Shalize, Cristian, Gabrielle, and Mrs. Hess: thanks for sharing your totally awesome predictions! :)
I think one of the best things a teacher can do for students is to model lifelong learning. I have a bulletin board behind my desk that is filled with a collage of pictures showing me learning science by exploring the world: holding a giant isopod from the bottom of the ocean as a NOAA Teacher at Sea; unearthing dinosaur bones in Wyoming (I finally went on that dig!); snorkeling in a mangrove swamp; standing in steam from Kilauea volcano; and serving as a Science Communication Fellow on the E/V Nautilus with Titanic discoverer Dr. Robert Ballard. I want students to know that there is an amazing world out there just waiting to be explored; there are so many things still waiting to be discovered. 2ff7e9595c
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