Paleontologists have developed a new tool for guiding fossil research by analyzing the geographic distribution of shallow marine fossils spanning five hundred forty million years and mapping regions where information is missing.
Fossilization remains exceptionally rare, leaving scientists with major gaps in our picture of prehistoric life across different geological periods and world regions.
Thomas A. Neubauer of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History and Mathias Harzhauser of the Natural History Museum in Vienna developed this new tool to guide fossil research efficiently.
The two paleontologists analyzed records from the Paleobiology Database to reconstruct where ancient shallow marine fossils have been documented throughout Earth’s history.
The team examined how fossil research developed over decades and centuries, measuring how frequently investigations in different regions produced new scientific information.
Researchers compared these findings with geological information from the Macrostat database to assess where suitable rock formations could fill important gaps.
The analysis revealed that the Early Mesozoic and the Palaeozoic have been studied extensively, meaning additional discoveries from these periods are unlikely to produce substantial new knowledge.
The greatest opportunities for expanding the fossil record lie in more recent geological history, specifically within the Cenozoic Era beginning sixty-six million years ago.
Shallow marine deposits from this era could yield more fossils where geological layers are exposed and accessible.
“The fact that many regions of the Earth remain unexplored offers hope for valuable new discoveries,” Neubauer told Science Daily.
“We provide a valuable guide for planning future projects and excavation campaigns,” Neubauer told Science Daily.
“Through sensible prioritization, we can fill gaps in the fossil record strategically,” Neubauer told Science Daily.
