Fantastic Fossils
Students investigate fossils.Copyright Hanman's Fossils, NASA http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/library/images/news_stories/old/fossilflower.jpg
Students learn about fossils—what they are, how they are formed, and why scientists and engineers care about them.
Some engineers study fossils to learn about the prehistoric processes and functions that were present in the Earth's history. By understanding how prehistoric creatures lived and became extinct, engineers acquire new ideas for how to design ways to study global climate change and species extinction. Engineers also design the high-tech instrumentation that helps paleontologists discover fossils, especially at the microbial level; these technologies include MRIs, CAT scans and mass spectrometry (or spectroscopy). Engineers are integral to the development of current technologies that use fossils (and fossil fuels) for materials and energy production.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Define fossil.
- Describe how fossils are formed.
- Explain why engineers might study fossils.