Science Degree Program in China - Paleontology

1. Introduction

Paleontology is a cross science of life science and earth science. It is the only unique branch among the life science with the time scale of the nature of historical science to study the origin of life, development history, biological macroevolution model, rhythm, and mechanisms of biological history and part; and a branch of earth science to study biological remains, relics and fossils saved in the stratum, determining the stratigraphic sequence, age, understanding the history of the crustal evolution, to infer the formation and the distribution of land and water distribution in the geological history, climate change and sedimentary mineral resources.

Paleontology uses fossil and traces of ancient life to conduct biological research, study ancient life characteristics and evolution history, discussing major and the origin of life mass extinction and recovery events, exploring the earth evolution and environmental changes of basic subject. Modern ancient biology is a cross subject of life science, earth science and environmental science.

The research focuses on three goals: the biological diversity research in the geological history, system evolution relationship research of biological categories, and research on the relationship of co evolution between the ancient environment, climate and biological world.

2. Branches

According to the different objects of the study, paleontology includes two branches: palaeobotany and paleozoology. With the deepening of the modern development of production and science research, palaeobotany can be divided into the palynology and ancient algae; paleozoology can be divided into the ancient invertebrate and vertebrate paleontology, ancient anthropology is the branch of anthropology and branch of vertebrate paleontology; according to the individual small animal and plants fossil or minor part research of large organisms, which forms a branch of micropaleontology, shows important significance in theory and practice.

3. Research Methods

1) Observation objects

The research object of paleontology is fossil. The study of fossils includes two stages: the field and the indoor. The field stage is mainly to collect the specimen and collect the observation data. The general requirement of collecting and observing is good quantity and quality, the specific requirements vary with the research task, if it is the paleoecological study, in addition to general biostratigraphic work, but also focus on the observation of collection distribution of paleontology, burial and community structure of the data tend to in the field of quantitative collecting and observing and making sketches and photos.

2) Identification description

Indoor stages include the identification characterization and monographic study of fossils. Identification description includes grinding, repair, identification, photo and description of a series of procedures, the classification and description of the procedures and biology of the same nomenclature follow the provisions of the "International animal (plant) name regulations". On the basis of this, a special subject research is carried out.

4. Biological Evolution

Paleontology is the organism of the history period; also follows the principle of Darwin's theory of evolution. Evolutionary theory points out the evolutionary way of evolution, evolution, evolution, adaptation, evolution, convergent evolution, parallel evolution and dynamic evolution. In addition, the ancient biological evolution has its own rules and characteristics. The more important laws are: law of irreversible, law of correlation, law of repetition

1) Progressive evolution

2) Stage evolution

3) Classification system

5. Theory

1) Functional morphology

2) Construction morphology

3) Ancient pathology

4) Ancient biological geography

5) Mathematics

6. Chemistry Theory

1) Ancient biochemistry

2) Molecular ancient biology

3) Biological mineralogy

4) Fossil petrology

5) Ancient bionics

7. Research Significance

1) Serve for geology

2) Division and contrast strata

3) Serve for biology

8. Training Objectives

The program trains senior professional and technical personnel who initially grasp the basic knowledge of biology, geology and other related disciplines, theoretical basis and research methods; to understand the research status and the developing direction of contemporary biology, geology and environmental science; have engaged in scientific research, higher education, science and technology development and administration ability.

9. Main Courses

Introduction to computing, data structure, higher mathematics, general physics, general physics experiment, general chemistry, general chemistry experiment, plant biology, plant biology, animal biology, experimental animal biology experiment, biochemistry, biological evolution, geology, tectonic geology, paleontology, historical geology, petrology, ordinary common geological practice, comprehensive geological practice, linear algebra, probability statistics, genetics, quantitative analysis, quantitative analysis, experimental genetics experiment, microbiology, general ecology, cell biology, cell biology experiment, developmental biology, evolutionary biology, paleoecology and paleoenvironment analysis, molecular biology, basic molecular biology experiment, vertebrate evolution history, ancient botany and palynology science, modern stratigraphy and paleoceanography and global change Conspectus of, crystallography and mineralogy, petrology, physical sedimentology, geochemistry, tectonics, marine geology, introduction to natural resources, isotope geochemical basis, introduction to museum science

10. Development Prospects

Paleontology graduates are mainly engaged in scientific research institutions, institutions of higher learning research and teaching and teaching staff; paleontology and other natural history museum, natural protection area and geological park scientific or management personnel; land and resources administration department fossil management personnel; oil, coal and geological survey and other departments of the research, laboratory personnel and other jobs.