Voices From the Past

24 Voices From the Past Have you ever wondered how we learn about the past? Especially about things that took place on Earth millions of years ago? For example, how do we know about dinosaurs or any of the thousands of other creatures that were on this planet before humans showed up? The answer to this question is one word: fossils. Fossils are the hardened remains of plants and animals that roamed the earth in the distant past. The word fossil comes from Latin and means “ dug up" , which is how fossils are found. Sometimes, a fossil is simply a footprint left behind by an animal as it walked on Earth in the prehistoric era. Sometimes, it's the creature's entire body. And sometimes, it's just a single bone or tooth. But always, it's a sign from long ago -evidence of what life was like in prehistoric times. Perhaps you've seen pictures of fossils or viewed them in a museum. The earliest fossils date back more than four billion years. Fossils have the same shape and size as the original animal or plant.

As a result of major disasters such as sudden changes in the environment, plants and animals died without warning. One moment, they were going about their lives, eating and breathing. And the next, they were covered with sand, water or ice. Over a period of thousands of years, some of these creatures slowly fossilized or turned to stone. Thousands of these fossils lay undiscovered in every corner of the earth. Only a few had been unearthed until the early 1800s, when a young English girl and her father spotted something strange in the sand as they walked along the seashore at low tide. At first, they had no idea what they had found. They decided to dig it out of the sand and take it home. News of their discovery soon spread and scientists began to visit them to examine the strange objects they were finding buried along the English coast near their village. Like voices from the past, these newly discovered relics began to unlock the mystery of what life was like in prehistoric times.