Journal article 281 views 115 downloads
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project
Jansen A. Smith 
,
Elizabeth M. Dowding ,
Ahmed A. Abdelhady ,
Paolo Abondio,
Ricardo Araújo,
Tracy Aze,
Mairin A. Balisi ,
Luis A. Buatois ,
Humberto Carvajal-Chitty,
Devapriya Chattopadhyay ,
Mario Coiro ,
Gregory P. Dietl ,
Catalina González Arango,
Charalampos Kevrekidis ,
Julien Kimmig ,
Alexis M. Mychajliw ,
Catalina Pimiento ,
Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández ,
Katlin M. Schroeder,
Rachel C. M. Warnock ,
Tzu-Ruei Yang ,
Moriaki Yasuhara ,
Lailah Gifty Akita ,
Bethany J. Allen ,
Brendan M. Anderson ,
Jérémy Andréoletti,
Fernando M. Archuby ,
Gustavo A. Ballen ,
Md. Ibrahimul Bari,
Michael J. Benton ,
Eugene W. Bergh,
Luciano Brambilla,
Anieke Brombacher ,
Yong Kit Samuel Chan ,
Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza ,
Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig ,
Kadane M. Coates ,
David R. Cordie ,
Miguel Cortés-Sánchez ,
Eduardo J. Cruz-Vega,
Jonathan D. Cybulski ,
Kenneth De Baets ,
Julia De Entrambasaguas,
Erin M. Dillon ,
Andrew Du ,
Alexander M. Dunhill ,
Jon M. Erlandson ,
Marie-Béatrice Forel,
William J. Foster ,
Terry A. Gates,
Alexandra Gavryushkina ,
Molly K. Grace,
Hans-Peter Grossart ,
Patrick Hänsel,
Paul G. Harnik ,
Melanie Jane Hopkins ,
Samantha S. B. Hopkins ,
Keyi Hu ,
Huai-Hsuan M. Huang,
Randall B. Irmis,
Victory A. J. Jaques ,
Xavier A. Jenkins,
Advait M. Jukar ,
Patricia H. Kelley ,
Romina G. Kihn ,
Adiël A. Klompmaker,
Ádám T. Kocsis,
Jürgen Kriwet ,
David Lazarus,
Chun-Chi Liao ,
Chien-Hsiang Lin ,
Julien Louys ,
Jesus Lozano-Fernandez,
María Carmen Lozano-Francisco ,
Jessica A. Lueders-Dumont,
Mariano E. Malvé ,
Rowan C. Martindale ,
Ilaria Mazzini ,
Giorgia Modenini,
Subhronil Mondal ,
Mariana Mondini ,
Mateo D. Monferran,
Laura P. A. Mulvey ,
Karma Nanglu ,
Jacqueline M. T. Nguyen ,
Richard Norris,
Aaron O’Dea ,
Amy L. Ollendorf,
Johanset Orihuela,
John M. Pandolfi ,
Telmo Pereira,
Alejandra Piro ,
Roy E. Plotnick ,
Stephanie M. Plaza-Torres,
Arthur Porto,
Albert Prieto-Márquez,
Surangi W. Punyasena ,
Tiago B. Quental,
Nussaïbah B. Raja ,
Voajanahary Ranaivosoa,
Lauriane Ribas-Deulofeu ,
Florent Rivals ,
Vanessa Julie Roden ,
Antonietta Rosso ,
Farid Saleh,
Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador ,
Erin E. Saupe ,
Simon Schneider,
Judith A. Sclafani ,
Martin R. Smith ,
Antoine Souron ,
Manuel J. Steinbauer,
Mathew Stewart ,
Claudia P. Tambussi,
Ellen Thomas ,
Emanuel Tschopp,
Thomas Tütken ,
Sara Varela,
Raúl I. Vezzosi ,
Amelia Villaseñor ,
Manuel F. G. Weinkauf,
Lindsay E. Zanno ,
Chi Zhang ,
Qi Zhao,
Wolfgang Kiessling
,
Elizabeth M. Dowding ,
Ahmed A. Abdelhady ,
Paolo Abondio,
Ricardo Araújo,
Tracy Aze,
Mairin A. Balisi ,
Luis A. Buatois ,
Humberto Carvajal-Chitty,
Devapriya Chattopadhyay ,
Mario Coiro ,
Gregory P. Dietl ,
Catalina González Arango,
Charalampos Kevrekidis ,
Julien Kimmig ,
Alexis M. Mychajliw ,
Catalina Pimiento ,
Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández ,
Katlin M. Schroeder,
Rachel C. M. Warnock ,
Tzu-Ruei Yang ,
Moriaki Yasuhara ,
Lailah Gifty Akita ,
Bethany J. Allen ,
Brendan M. Anderson ,
Jérémy Andréoletti,
Fernando M. Archuby ,
Gustavo A. Ballen ,
Md. Ibrahimul Bari,
Michael J. Benton ,
Eugene W. Bergh,
Luciano Brambilla,
Anieke Brombacher ,
Yong Kit Samuel Chan ,
Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza ,
Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig ,
Kadane M. Coates ,
David R. Cordie ,
Miguel Cortés-Sánchez ,
Eduardo J. Cruz-Vega,
Jonathan D. Cybulski ,
Kenneth De Baets ,
Julia De Entrambasaguas,
Erin M. Dillon ,
Andrew Du ,
Alexander M. Dunhill ,
Jon M. Erlandson ,
Marie-Béatrice Forel,
William J. Foster ,
Terry A. Gates,
Alexandra Gavryushkina ,
Molly K. Grace,
Hans-Peter Grossart ,
Patrick Hänsel,
Paul G. Harnik ,
Melanie Jane Hopkins ,
Samantha S. B. Hopkins ,
Keyi Hu ,
Huai-Hsuan M. Huang,
Randall B. Irmis,
Victory A. J. Jaques ,
Xavier A. Jenkins,
Advait M. Jukar ,
Patricia H. Kelley ,
Romina G. Kihn ,
Adiël A. Klompmaker,
Ádám T. Kocsis,
Jürgen Kriwet ,
David Lazarus,
Chun-Chi Liao ,
Chien-Hsiang Lin ,
Julien Louys ,
Jesus Lozano-Fernandez,
María Carmen Lozano-Francisco ,
Jessica A. Lueders-Dumont,
Mariano E. Malvé ,
Rowan C. Martindale ,
Ilaria Mazzini ,
Giorgia Modenini,
Subhronil Mondal ,
Mariana Mondini ,
Mateo D. Monferran,
Laura P. A. Mulvey ,
Karma Nanglu ,
Jacqueline M. T. Nguyen ,
Richard Norris,
Aaron O’Dea ,
Amy L. Ollendorf,
Johanset Orihuela,
John M. Pandolfi ,
Telmo Pereira,
Alejandra Piro ,
Roy E. Plotnick ,
Stephanie M. Plaza-Torres,
Arthur Porto,
Albert Prieto-Márquez,
Surangi W. Punyasena ,
Tiago B. Quental,
Nussaïbah B. Raja ,
Voajanahary Ranaivosoa,
Lauriane Ribas-Deulofeu ,
Florent Rivals ,
Vanessa Julie Roden ,
Antonietta Rosso ,
Farid Saleh,
Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador ,
Erin E. Saupe ,
Simon Schneider,
Judith A. Sclafani ,
Martin R. Smith ,
Antoine Souron ,
Manuel J. Steinbauer,
Mathew Stewart ,
Claudia P. Tambussi,
Ellen Thomas ,
Emanuel Tschopp,
Thomas Tütken ,
Sara Varela,
Raúl I. Vezzosi ,
Amelia Villaseñor ,
Manuel F. G. Weinkauf,
Lindsay E. Zanno ,
Chi Zhang ,
Qi Zhao,
Wolfgang Kiessling
Paleobiology, Volume: 51, Issue: 3, Pages: 408 - 431
Swansea University Author:
Catalina Pimiento
-
PDF | Version of Record
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Paleontological Society. This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (CC BY).
Download (2.35MB)
DOI (Published version): 10.1017/pab.2025.10042
Abstract
Paleontology provides insights into the history of the planet, from the origins of life billions of years ago to the biotic changes of the Recent. The scope of paleontological research is as vast as it is varied, and the field is constantly evolving. In an effort to identify “Big Questions” in paleo...
| Published in: | Paleobiology |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 0094-8373 1938-5331 |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
2025
|
| Online Access: |
Check full text
|
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70730 |
| Abstract: |
Paleontology provides insights into the history of the planet, from the origins of life billions of years ago to the biotic changes of the Recent. The scope of paleontological research is as vast as it is varied, and the field is constantly evolving. In an effort to identify “Big Questions” in paleontology, experts from around the world came together to build a list of priority questions the field can address in the years ahead. The 89 questions presented herein (grouped within 11 themes) represent contributions from nearly 200 international scientists. These questions touch on common themes including biodiversity drivers and patterns, integrating data types across spatiotemporal scales, applying paleontological data to contemporary biodiversity and climate issues, and effectively utilizing innovative methods and technology for new paleontological insights. In addition to these theoretical questions, discussions touch upon structural concerns within the field, advocating for an increased valuation of specimen-based research, protection of natural heritage sites, and the importance of collections infrastructure, along with a stronger emphasis on human diversity, equity, and inclusion. These questions offer a starting point—an initial nucleus of consensus that paleontologists can expand on—for engaging in discussions, securing funding, advocating for museums, and fostering continued growth in shared research directions. |
|---|---|
| Item Description: |
Review |
| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |
| Funders: |
Volkswagen Foundation (Az 96 796) |
| Issue: |
3 |
| Start Page: |
408 |
| End Page: |
431 |