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Preferred term

fossils  

Definition

  • What is a fossil? The word is Latin, and it means,“dug up.” One of the earliest known research publications to use this term was Agricola's work on systematicmineralogy, De natura fossilium.It wasn't until Lamarck's Hydrogeologie was published in 1802 that the term was restricted to “the still recognizable remains of organized bodies.” Even as late as the mid-1800s, the concept of fossilization was, except in the minds of a very few, considered the result of a recent worldwide deluge. For over 1,000 years, just the discussion of events beyond the scope of the biblical account of creation could cause one to end up in prison or worse. [Source: Encyclopedia of Anthropology; Fossils]

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https://concepts.sagepub.com/social-science/concept/fossils

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