Scientists Create Treasure Map To Find Fossils Of Undiscovered Prehistoric Species

Scientists have created a global map showing places where fossils of previously unknown prehistoric species could still be found. The map may help researchers identify areas that have not been explored much and could hold important clues about ancient life on Earth, according to PEOPLE.

According to Science Daily, the map is based on an analysis of 540 million years of marine fossil records. The study found that some of the best chances of discovering new fossils may lie in relatively recent geological periods rather than only in the oldest rocks.

The research was carried out by paleontologists Thomas A Neubauer of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History in Germany and Mathias Harzhauser of the Natural History Museum in Vienna.

The researchers wanted to find out where scientists should look for fossils that have not yet been discovered.

Fossils provide information about living things that existed millions of years ago. However, only a small number of ancient organisms were preserved as fossils, and even fewer have been discovered. This means scientists still have an incomplete record of prehistoric life.

While some parts of the world have been explored in detail and have produced many fossils, other regions have received much less attention.

To find areas that could offer new discoveries, Neubauer and Harzhauser studied records of animals that lived in shallow seas over the past 540 million years.

They used the Paleobiology Database, which contains published fossil records from around the world. The researchers mapped the locations where marine fossils had already been discovered and identified areas where fossil evidence was still missing.

They also studied geological information to find places where rocks that may contain fossils are available for researchers to examine today.

The study challenged the idea that the oldest rocks always provide the best chances of finding unknown prehistoric species.

The Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras cover hundreds of millions of years and have produced many important fossil discoveries. However, researchers found that several shallow marine rock deposits from these periods have already been studied extensively.

Instead, the Cenozoic Era, which began around 66 million years ago, may offer better opportunities for finding new fossils.

This means that some important missing parts of Earth's prehistoric history could be hidden in rocks that are much younger than those containing fossils from the age of dinosaurs.

The researchers hope the map will help paleontologists focus on areas that have not been studied much instead of spending more time searching in places that have already been explored.

The findings may also help scientists examine museum collections more carefully. Some fossils kept in museums have remained unstudied for years and may still offer useful information.

Neubauer said that many parts of the world have not yet been explored, which creates opportunities for important new discoveries.

He also explained that the study could help researchers focus on less-explored regions because adding new information to the fossil record is a slow and difficult process.

The researchers said their map could guide future research projects and fossil excavation work. It may also help scientists decide which existing museum collections should be examined first.

Neubauer explained that by giving priority to the most promising areas and collections, researchers could fill gaps in the fossil record in a planned way.

Although the map does not promise the discovery of new species, it provides scientists with a guide to locations where further fossil research may be valuable.