Jason Hahn

When most people contemplate fossil discoveries, they envision dense, heavy bones or mineralized shells chiseled directly out of sedimentary stone. Yet in numerous geological strata worldwide, the original organic molecules and biomineralized hard parts of ancient organisms have completely vanished. Through chemical dissolution, groundwaters dissolve away skeletal aragonite and calcite, leaving behind an empty void … Read more

Throughout the history of paleontology, the vast majority of fossil specimens are recovered as compressed, mineral-replaced stone fragments embedded in sedimentary strata. While bones and shells tell the monumental story of vertebrate and molluscan evolution, the fragile microcosms of terrestrial life — insects, arachnids, fungal spores, feathers, and delicate floral structures — rarely survive the … Read more

In the vast expanse of earth’s geological record, the history of ancient life is preserved through two fundamentally distinct taphonomic categories: body fossils and trace fossils. While the public imagination frequently gravitates toward towering dinosaur skeletons, gleaming ammonite shells, and petrified bones, the behavioral footprint of ancient ecosystems is recorded with equal scientific power through … Read more