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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
-
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© 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).
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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 |
| first_indexed |
2025-10-20T11:15:48Z |
|---|---|
| last_indexed |
2025-10-21T06:07:05Z |
| id |
cronfa70730 |
| recordtype |
SURis |
| fullrecord |
<?xml version="1.0"?><rfc1807><datestamp>2025-10-20T12:18:39.9028644</datestamp><bib-version>v2</bib-version><id>70730</id><entry>2025-10-20</entry><title>Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project</title><swanseaauthors><author><sid>7dd222e2a1d5971b3f3963f0501a9d4f</sid><ORCID>0000-0002-5320-7246</ORCID><firstname>Catalina</firstname><surname>Pimiento</surname><name>Catalina Pimiento</name><active>true</active><ethesisStudent>false</ethesisStudent></author></swanseaauthors><date>2025-10-20</date><deptcode>BGPS</deptcode><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.</abstract><type>Journal Article</type><journal>Paleobiology</journal><volume>51</volume><journalNumber>3</journalNumber><paginationStart>408</paginationStart><paginationEnd>431</paginationEnd><publisher>Cambridge University Press (CUP)</publisher><placeOfPublication/><isbnPrint/><isbnElectronic/><issnPrint>0094-8373</issnPrint><issnElectronic>1938-5331</issnElectronic><keywords/><publishedDay>31</publishedDay><publishedMonth>8</publishedMonth><publishedYear>2025</publishedYear><publishedDate>2025-08-31</publishedDate><doi>10.1017/pab.2025.10042</doi><url/><notes>Review</notes><college>COLLEGE NANME</college><department>Biosciences Geography and Physics School</department><CollegeCode>COLLEGE CODE</CollegeCode><DepartmentCode>BGPS</DepartmentCode><institution>Swansea University</institution><apcterm>Another institution paid the OA fee</apcterm><funders>Volkswagen Foundation (Az 96 796)</funders><projectreference/><lastEdited>2025-10-20T12:18:39.9028644</lastEdited><Created>2025-10-20T12:03:25.4832341</Created><path><level id="1">Faculty of Science and Engineering</level><level id="2">School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences</level></path><authors><author><firstname>Jansen A.</firstname><surname>Smith</surname><orcid>0000-0003-3771-2039</orcid><order>1</order></author><author><firstname>Elizabeth M.</firstname><surname>Dowding</surname><orcid>0000-0002-2423-8254</orcid><order>2</order></author><author><firstname>Ahmed A.</firstname><surname>Abdelhady</surname><orcid>0000-0003-4438-8572</orcid><order>3</order></author><author><firstname>Paolo</firstname><surname>Abondio</surname><order>4</order></author><author><firstname>Ricardo</firstname><surname>Araújo</surname><order>5</order></author><author><firstname>Tracy</firstname><surname>Aze</surname><order>6</order></author><author><firstname>Mairin A.</firstname><surname>Balisi</surname><orcid>0000-0001-6633-1222</orcid><order>7</order></author><author><firstname>Luis A.</firstname><surname>Buatois</surname><orcid>0000-0001-9523-750X</orcid><order>8</order></author><author><firstname>Humberto</firstname><surname>Carvajal-Chitty</surname><order>9</order></author><author><firstname>Devapriya</firstname><surname>Chattopadhyay</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9102-9313</orcid><order>10</order></author><author><firstname>Mario</firstname><surname>Coiro</surname><orcid>0000-0002-0113-0320</orcid><order>11</order></author><author><firstname>Gregory P.</firstname><surname>Dietl</surname><orcid>0000-0003-1571-0868</orcid><order>12</order></author><author><firstname>Catalina González</firstname><surname>Arango</surname><order>13</order></author><author><firstname>Charalampos</firstname><surname>Kevrekidis</surname><orcid>0000-0002-6939-1084</orcid><order>14</order></author><author><firstname>Julien</firstname><surname>Kimmig</surname><orcid>0000-0001-8032-4272</orcid><order>15</order></author><author><firstname>Alexis M.</firstname><surname>Mychajliw</surname><orcid>0000-0003-4801-7496</orcid><order>16</order></author><author><firstname>Catalina</firstname><surname>Pimiento</surname><orcid>0000-0002-5320-7246</orcid><order>17</order></author><author><firstname>Omar Rafael Regalado</firstname><surname>Fernández</surname><orcid>0000-0002-6247-6181</orcid><order>18</order></author><author><firstname>Katlin M.</firstname><surname>Schroeder</surname><order>19</order></author><author><firstname>Rachel C. M.</firstname><surname>Warnock</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9151-4642</orcid><order>20</order></author><author><firstname>Tzu-Ruei</firstname><surname>Yang</surname><orcid>0000-0001-8236-1210</orcid><order>21</order></author><author><firstname>Moriaki</firstname><surname>Yasuhara</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0990-1764</orcid><order>22</order></author><author><firstname>Lailah Gifty</firstname><surname>Akita</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1074-296X</orcid><order>23</order></author><author><firstname>Bethany J.</firstname><surname>Allen</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0282-6407</orcid><order>24</order></author><author><firstname>Brendan M.</firstname><surname>Anderson</surname><orcid>0000-0001-9804-0083</orcid><order>25</order></author><author><firstname>Jérémy</firstname><surname>Andréoletti</surname><order>26</order></author><author><firstname>Fernando M.</firstname><surname>Archuby</surname><orcid>0000-0002-0450-3364</orcid><order>27</order></author><author><firstname>Gustavo A.</firstname><surname>Ballen</surname><orcid>0000-0001-5424-8608</orcid><order>28</order></author><author><firstname>Md. Ibrahimul</firstname><surname>Bari</surname><order>29</order></author><author><firstname>Michael J.</firstname><surname>Benton</surname><orcid>0000-0002-4323-1824</orcid><order>30</order></author><author><firstname>Eugene W.</firstname><surname>Bergh</surname><order>31</order></author><author><firstname>Luciano</firstname><surname>Brambilla</surname><order>32</order></author><author><firstname>Anieke</firstname><surname>Brombacher</surname><orcid>0000-0003-2310-047X</orcid><order>33</order></author><author><firstname>Yong Kit Samuel</firstname><surname>Chan</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0922-9357</orcid><order>34</order></author><author><firstname>Alfio Alessandro</firstname><surname>Chiarenza</surname><orcid>0000-0001-5525-6730</orcid><order>35</order></author><author><firstname>Tsogtbaatar</firstname><surname>Chinzorig</surname><orcid>0000-0001-5231-0113</orcid><order>36</order></author><author><firstname>Kadane M.</firstname><surname>Coates</surname><orcid>0000-0002-7954-1453</orcid><order>37</order></author><author><firstname>David R.</firstname><surname>Cordie</surname><orcid>0000-0003-1675-8206</orcid><order>38</order></author><author><firstname>Miguel</firstname><surname>Cortés-Sánchez</surname><orcid>0000-0001-9093-3338</orcid><order>39</order></author><author><firstname>Eduardo J.</firstname><surname>Cruz-Vega</surname><order>40</order></author><author><firstname>Jonathan D.</firstname><surname>Cybulski</surname><orcid>0000-0002-8415-6162</orcid><order>41</order></author><author><firstname>Kenneth De</firstname><surname>Baets</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1651-321X</orcid><order>42</order></author><author><firstname>Julia De</firstname><surname>Entrambasaguas</surname><order>43</order></author><author><firstname>Erin M.</firstname><surname>Dillon</surname><orcid>0000-0003-0249-027X</orcid><order>44</order></author><author><firstname>Andrew</firstname><surname>Du</surname><orcid>0000-0002-7381-5089</orcid><order>45</order></author><author><firstname>Alexander M.</firstname><surname>Dunhill</surname><orcid>0000-0002-8680-9163</orcid><order>46</order></author><author><firstname>Jon M.</firstname><surname>Erlandson</surname><orcid>0000-0002-4705-4319</orcid><order>47</order></author><author><firstname>Marie-Béatrice</firstname><surname>Forel</surname><order>48</order></author><author><firstname>William J.</firstname><surname>Foster</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9595-8195</orcid><order>49</order></author><author><firstname>Terry A.</firstname><surname>Gates</surname><order>50</order></author><author><firstname>Alexandra</firstname><surname>Gavryushkina</surname><orcid>0000-0002-1885-1108</orcid><order>51</order></author><author><firstname>Molly K.</firstname><surname>Grace</surname><order>52</order></author><author><firstname>Hans-Peter</firstname><surname>Grossart</surname><orcid>0000-0002-9141-0325</orcid><order>53</order></author><author><firstname>Patrick</firstname><surname>Hänsel</surname><order>54</order></author><author><firstname>Paul G.</firstname><surname>Harnik</surname><orcid>0000-0001-6931-9931</orcid><order>55</order></author><author><firstname>Melanie Jane</firstname><surname>Hopkins</surname><orcid>0000-0002-3580-2172</orcid><order>56</order></author><author><firstname>Samantha S. 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2025-10-20T12:18:39.9028644 v2 70730 2025-10-20 Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project 7dd222e2a1d5971b3f3963f0501a9d4f 0000-0002-5320-7246 Catalina Pimiento Catalina Pimiento true false 2025-10-20 BGPS 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. Journal Article Paleobiology 51 3 408 431 Cambridge University Press (CUP) 0094-8373 1938-5331 31 8 2025 2025-08-31 10.1017/pab.2025.10042 Review COLLEGE NANME Biosciences Geography and Physics School COLLEGE CODE BGPS Swansea University Another institution paid the OA fee Volkswagen Foundation (Az 96 796) 2025-10-20T12:18:39.9028644 2025-10-20T12:03:25.4832341 Faculty of Science and Engineering School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences Jansen A. Smith 0000-0003-3771-2039 1 Elizabeth M. Dowding 0000-0002-2423-8254 2 Ahmed A. Abdelhady 0000-0003-4438-8572 3 Paolo Abondio 4 Ricardo Araújo 5 Tracy Aze 6 Mairin A. Balisi 0000-0001-6633-1222 7 Luis A. Buatois 0000-0001-9523-750X 8 Humberto Carvajal-Chitty 9 Devapriya Chattopadhyay 0000-0002-9102-9313 10 Mario Coiro 0000-0002-0113-0320 11 Gregory P. Dietl 0000-0003-1571-0868 12 Catalina González Arango 13 Charalampos Kevrekidis 0000-0002-6939-1084 14 Julien Kimmig 0000-0001-8032-4272 15 Alexis M. Mychajliw 0000-0003-4801-7496 16 Catalina Pimiento 0000-0002-5320-7246 17 Omar Rafael Regalado Fernández 0000-0002-6247-6181 18 Katlin M. Schroeder 19 Rachel C. M. Warnock 0000-0002-9151-4642 20 Tzu-Ruei Yang 0000-0001-8236-1210 21 Moriaki Yasuhara 0000-0003-0990-1764 22 Lailah Gifty Akita 0000-0002-1074-296X 23 Bethany J. Allen 0000-0003-0282-6407 24 Brendan M. Anderson 0000-0001-9804-0083 25 Jérémy Andréoletti 26 Fernando M. Archuby 0000-0002-0450-3364 27 Gustavo A. Ballen 0000-0001-5424-8608 28 Md. Ibrahimul Bari 29 Michael J. Benton 0000-0002-4323-1824 30 Eugene W. Bergh 31 Luciano Brambilla 32 Anieke Brombacher 0000-0003-2310-047X 33 Yong Kit Samuel Chan 0000-0003-0922-9357 34 Alfio Alessandro Chiarenza 0000-0001-5525-6730 35 Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig 0000-0001-5231-0113 36 Kadane M. Coates 0000-0002-7954-1453 37 David R. Cordie 0000-0003-1675-8206 38 Miguel Cortés-Sánchez 0000-0001-9093-3338 39 Eduardo J. Cruz-Vega 40 Jonathan D. Cybulski 0000-0002-8415-6162 41 Kenneth De Baets 0000-0002-1651-321X 42 Julia De Entrambasaguas 43 Erin M. Dillon 0000-0003-0249-027X 44 Andrew Du 0000-0002-7381-5089 45 Alexander M. Dunhill 0000-0002-8680-9163 46 Jon M. Erlandson 0000-0002-4705-4319 47 Marie-Béatrice Forel 48 William J. Foster 0000-0002-9595-8195 49 Terry A. Gates 50 Alexandra Gavryushkina 0000-0002-1885-1108 51 Molly K. Grace 52 Hans-Peter Grossart 0000-0002-9141-0325 53 Patrick Hänsel 54 Paul G. Harnik 0000-0001-6931-9931 55 Melanie Jane Hopkins 0000-0002-3580-2172 56 Samantha S. B. Hopkins 0000-0003-2289-7472 57 Keyi Hu 0000-0001-7458-1360 58 Huai-Hsuan M. Huang 59 Randall B. Irmis 60 Victory A. J. Jaques 0000-0001-7099-5670 61 Xavier A. Jenkins 62 Advait M. Jukar 0000-0002-1525-1246 63 Patricia H. Kelley 0000-0003-1319-0571 64 Romina G. Kihn 0000-0001-9470-3601 65 Adiël A. Klompmaker 66 Ádám T. Kocsis 67 Jürgen Kriwet 0000-0002-6439-8455 68 David Lazarus 69 Chun-Chi Liao 0000-0002-9645-7245 70 Chien-Hsiang Lin 0000-0002-9843-9729 71 Julien Louys 0000-0001-7539-0689 72 Jesus Lozano-Fernandez 73 María Carmen Lozano-Francisco 0000-0001-7499-4069 74 Jessica A. Lueders-Dumont 75 Mariano E. Malvé 0000-0001-7797-5488 76 Rowan C. Martindale 0000-0003-2681-083X 77 Ilaria Mazzini 0000-0003-2164-7826 78 Giorgia Modenini 79 Subhronil Mondal 0000-0002-1772-4211 80 Mariana Mondini 0000-0001-5989-8546 81 Mateo D. Monferran 82 Laura P. A. Mulvey 0000-0001-9746-1345 83 Karma Nanglu 0000-0002-0595-2225 84 Jacqueline M. T. Nguyen 0000-0002-3076-0006 85 Richard Norris 86 Aaron O’Dea 0000-0001-5495-4764 87 Amy L. Ollendorf 88 Johanset Orihuela 89 John M. Pandolfi 0000-0003-3047-6694 90 Telmo Pereira 91 Alejandra Piro 0000-0002-0144-6499 92 Roy E. Plotnick 0000-0001-6177-3355 93 Stephanie M. Plaza-Torres 94 Arthur Porto 95 Albert Prieto-Márquez 96 Surangi W. Punyasena 0000-0003-2110-5840 97 Tiago B. Quental 98 Nussaïbah B. Raja 0000-0002-0000-3944 99 Voajanahary Ranaivosoa 100 Lauriane Ribas-Deulofeu 0000-0001-9005-5547 101 Florent Rivals 0000-0001-8074-9254 102 Vanessa Julie Roden 0000-0001-7376-0607 103 Antonietta Rosso 0000-0001-5565-9513 104 Farid Saleh 105 Rodrigo Brincalepe Salvador 0000-0002-4238-2276 106 Erin E. Saupe 0000-0002-0370-9897 107 Simon Schneider 108 Judith A. Sclafani 0000-0003-4480-9234 109 Martin R. Smith 0000-0001-5660-1727 110 Antoine Souron 0000-0001-7384-4974 111 Manuel J. Steinbauer 112 Mathew Stewart 0000-0002-0413-8133 113 Claudia P. Tambussi 114 Ellen Thomas 0000-0002-7141-9904 115 Emanuel Tschopp 116 Thomas Tütken 0000-0002-2590-8600 117 Sara Varela 118 Raúl I. Vezzosi 0000-0002-5387-5332 119 Amelia Villaseñor 0000-0002-4385-946X 120 Manuel F. G. Weinkauf 121 Lindsay E. Zanno 0000-0002-1654-1990 122 Chi Zhang 0000-0001-6009-5273 123 Qi Zhao 124 Wolfgang Kiessling 0000-0002-1088-2014 125 70730__35399__f1b27aaf96434a10b7f210e9a892b51e.pdf S0094837325100420a.pdf 2025-10-20T12:03:25.4598410 Output 2464705 application/pdf Version of Record true © 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). true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| title |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project |
| spellingShingle |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project Catalina Pimiento |
| title_short |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project |
| title_full |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project |
| title_fullStr |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project |
| title_sort |
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology: a community-driven project |
| author_id_str_mv |
7dd222e2a1d5971b3f3963f0501a9d4f |
| author_id_fullname_str_mv |
7dd222e2a1d5971b3f3963f0501a9d4f_***_Catalina Pimiento |
| author |
Catalina Pimiento |
| author2 |
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 |
| format |
Journal article |
| container_title |
Paleobiology |
| container_volume |
51 |
| container_issue |
3 |
| container_start_page |
408 |
| publishDate |
2025 |
| institution |
Swansea University |
| issn |
0094-8373 1938-5331 |
| doi_str_mv |
10.1017/pab.2025.10042 |
| publisher |
Cambridge University Press (CUP) |
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Faculty of Science and Engineering |
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facultyofscienceandengineering |
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Faculty of Science and Engineering |
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facultyofscienceandengineering |
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Faculty of Science and Engineering |
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School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Science and Engineering{{{_:::_}}}School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics - Biosciences |
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| description |
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. |
| published_date |
2025-08-31T05:28:02Z |
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1851550841324961792 |
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11.090071 |