John Beatty explores Stephen J Gould's 'replaying the tape of life' thought experiment, with an eye on both pop culture and the miraculous...
Read MorePicturing Data, Narrating History
In which David Sepkoski of the Max Planck Institute takes us on a fascinating tour of some of the most classic imagery in paleontology!
Read MoreLooking back and moving forward
How can the paleoecology of extinction help us understand modern extinctions and climate change? Patrick Forber has some answers...
Read MoreTransformation, Persistence, and Identity
Are birds dinosaurs? Matt Haber shows how tackling this question raises a big metaphysical question: the nature of identity. He draws lessons about how the paleontological distinginction between typology and transformation, on how to do metaphysics, and on how philosophy can challenge our preconceptions.
Read MoreIs Internal/External Eternal?
Biological theory has long been marked by a debate between 'internalists' and 'externalists'. Trevor Pearce sets the distinction in an historical context and argues that in this case, we'd do better by focusing on epistemic rather than conceptual questions.
Read MoreFrom Bonebeds to Paleoecology
Using work in Dinosaur Provincial Park as an example, Don Brinkman explores how focusing on paleoecology - thinking about extinct animals as living creatures embedded in populations and environments - transformed the practice of paleontology.
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