This Fossil was Created in My Lab In One Week
What started as a hobby developed into a serious desire to understand how fossils were formed.
Our text books from K - 12, college and post graduate, have presented many different theories regarding the formation of the untold millions of fossils found around the globe. One very basic theory states that fish fossils for example require great pressure and heat to form. Interested in starting a new hobby, I designed a simple fixture capable of compressing a fish sample to several thousand pounds per square inch. The entire fixture was then heated to 500 degrees F. When I presented this first fish fossil to an experienced fossil hunter, he estimated the age at a minimum of 110 million years….. That’s when I realized I was onto something.
Our Organization
PaleoGenesis Research is a registered 501-(C)(3) non profit dedicated to research and education. My background is in Mechanical Engineering and Test Equipment Design. To provide expertise in Paleontology and Inorganic Chemistry we have an advisory board of professors from several universities, with expertise in Geology and Paleontology, and retired chemists to insure I don’t blow myself up.
Phase 1: From Hobby to Classroom Instruction
What started as a hobby, assembled in my shop and heated in my wife’s oven, is now used in the classroom to lead students through the scientific method to encourage them as young scientists and Paleontologists. The first two questions I ask is, “Who wants to be a scientist?” and “Who thinks they are smart enough to be scientist?”. To my surprise , only 1 or 2 kids will raise their hands at each question, and they are usually not the same kids. However, kids get excited about fossils and it has been so encouraging to see 6th graders calculate surface area, and compressive forces and resulting pressures. They bring in flowers, bugs, ferns, and leaves to fossilize in a mudstone matrix. In their next class they will break a stone cylinder apart to find their fossils. Now they know for sure, “I just followed the whole scientific method, and I am smart enough to be a scientist”. That is so exciting!
Original Fixture Designed for Hobby and Classroom
Phase 2. Taphonomy, Study How Fossils are Formed
This website is dedicated to documenting the studies as they are being executed. You can help by joining in the conversation, helping to analyze the data as it unfolds, suggesting new studies and sharing it with all that might be interested. Simply email us at Research@PaleoGenesis.org
Dragonfly in Limestone matrix with crystals of pyrite forming from iron and sulfur.
Phase 3. Partner with Schools and Universities
In the future, we would like to provide services to schools interested in similar areas of study but lack the needed resources. We could help design experiments, fabricate test equipment, and provide facilities to execute those experiments.
Fish in Limestone matrix