How do paleontology, archeology, and anthropology differ? As I watch movies and television shows, I am constantly reminded that many writers do not seem to know the differences and commonly lump two or more of these sciences together. If you are also confused or uncertain, please read on:
Paleontology (also spelled by some as palaeontology) is the scientific study of fossils, which are the remains and traces (e.g., tracks, trails, burrows) of ancient life forms older than 10,000 years. The cutoff time is arbitrary, but the 10,000 years datum is useful because it is beyond recorded time. Ancient life forms include bacteria, invertebrates, fish, amphibians, reptiles, and all mammals. The latter category encompasses human remains (if they older than 10,000 years) and their activities that leave traces.
Paleontology encompasses also the following specialities:
Invertebrate paleontology: study of fossil animals without backbones
Vertebrate paleontology: study of fossil animals with backbones
Micropaleontology: studyof microscopic ancient lifeforms
Paleobotany: study of ancient plants
Ichnology: study of tracks and fossils of ancient lifeforms
Exopaleotology: study of extraterrestrial lifeforms
Archeology (also spelled as archaeology) is the scientific study of ancient human remains and the ancient activities of humans (especially human artifacts). The fossil record of humans is late Pliocene to modern times. Because the geologic record of humans is approximately during the last 4 million years old, archeology is confined to that time range.
Anthropology is the scientific study of the origin and of the physical, social (including language), cultural development, and behavior of humans. There are specialists (cultural anthropologists) who focus their studies mainly on cultural anthropology, whereas others (physical anthropologists) focus their studies mainly on the long-term biological development of the human body.
Forensic anthropology = examination of human skeletal remains for law-enforcement agencies
Paleoanthropology = concerned only with fossil hominids
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