Fragments of Oblivion

Buried history and the ghosts of those who lived before us—have you ever noticed the stones, traces, and symbols of organisms quietly preserved beneath us? Bones, shells, molds, and corals, which witnessed the Earth’s evolution.

Remains of the forgotten and the relics of the past—fossils serve as the evidence of life that existed hundreds, thousands, millions, and even billions of years ago. Paleontologists continue to discover and research traces of ancient organisms. In the past few years, they have noticed that most of the fossils they found were in sedimentary rocks.

According to National Geographic, ancient stromatolites that lived 3.7 billion years ago were found in Greenland and are considered the oldest fossils discovered. In 1974, the Lucy fossil was excavated in Ethiopia—Lucy belonged to the Australopithecus afarensis species and lived about 3.2 million years ago. These fossils held a significant role in the field of science and served as evidence of human evolution.

In 1891, the Archaeopteryx fossil was discovered in Germany—the oldest known fossil bird—and it provides strong evidence of evolution. In the year 1990 in South Dakota, Sue the T. rex was discovered—one of the largest and most complete dinosaur fossils ever found, about 90% complete, and displayed in the Field Museum. However, around 95% of fossils discovered are marine life, such as corals, shellfish, and even megalodon shark remains.

Fossils help scientists and serve as a guide to study evolution, to understand ancient and extinct species, and trace the Earth’s memory. It helps us to understand how ancient environments work and how organisms survived.

They were not just fossils; they were once alive, and they lived before us; fossils are embers, yet preserved—they were once like us. Silhouette of the past, and the Earth’s treasure—hidden traces of history are yet to be discovered.