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| - Micropaleontology was "the study of the fossil records at the microscopic level", and a branch of paleontology. A scientist who studied in this field was known as a micropaleontologist. In the years prior to 2369, Richard Galen wrote several papers on the subject of micropaleontology. Jean-Luc Picard had read Galen's papers on the subject, and noting the timespan since his last paper, assumed that the work had stopped. Picard was incorrect, and later learned that Galen's work had continued, however he was killed before he could reap the rewards of his research. Picard took in upon himself to conclude Galen's research, discovering a long dead ancient humanoid species, responsible for planting the seeds for much of the humanoid life in the galaxy. (TNG: "The Chase" )
- Micropaleontology (also sometimes spelled as micropalaeontology) is that branch of paleontology which studies microfossils. Microfossils are fossils generally not larger than four millimeters, and commonly smaller than one millimeter, the study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy. Fossils which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, such as a hand lens, are referred to as macrofossils. Obviously, it can be hard to decide whether or not some organisms should be considered microfossils, and so there is no fixed-size boundary.
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| abstract
| - Micropaleontology was "the study of the fossil records at the microscopic level", and a branch of paleontology. A scientist who studied in this field was known as a micropaleontologist. In the years prior to 2369, Richard Galen wrote several papers on the subject of micropaleontology. Jean-Luc Picard had read Galen's papers on the subject, and noting the timespan since his last paper, assumed that the work had stopped. Picard was incorrect, and later learned that Galen's work had continued, however he was killed before he could reap the rewards of his research. Picard took in upon himself to conclude Galen's research, discovering a long dead ancient humanoid species, responsible for planting the seeds for much of the humanoid life in the galaxy. (TNG: "The Chase" ) In 2375, Greta Vanderweg's husband was working as a micropaleontologist on the planet Mora V. (DS9: "Field of Fire")
- Micropaleontology (also sometimes spelled as micropalaeontology) is that branch of paleontology which studies microfossils. Microfossils are fossils generally not larger than four millimeters, and commonly smaller than one millimeter, the study of which requires the use of light or electron microscopy. Fossils which can be studied with the naked eye or low-powered magnification, such as a hand lens, are referred to as macrofossils. Obviously, it can be hard to decide whether or not some organisms should be considered microfossils, and so there is no fixed-size boundary. For example, some colonial organisms, such as bryozoa (especially the Cheilostomata) have relatively large colonies, but are classified on the basis of fine skeletal details of the tiny individuals of the colony. Most bryozoan specialists would consider themselves paleontologists, rather than micropaleontologists, but many micropaleontologists also study bryozoa. Microfossils are a common feature of the geological record, from the Precambrian to the Holocene. They are most common in deposits of marine environments, but also occur in brackish water, fresh water and terrestrial sedimentary deposits. While every kingdom of life is represented in the microfossil record, the most abundant forms are protist skeletons or cysts from the Chrysophyta, Pyrrhophyta, Sarcodina, acritarchs and chitinozoans, together with pollen and spores from the vascular plants. Micropaleontology can be roughly divided into four areas of study on the basis of microfossil composition: (a) calcareous, as in coccoliths and foraminifera, (b) phosphatic, as in the study of some vertebrates, (c) siliceous, as in diatoms and radiolaria, or (d) organic, as in the pollen and spores studied in palynology. This division reflects differences in the mineralogical and chemical composition of microfossil remains (and therefore in the methods of fossil recovery) rather than any strict taxonomic or ecological distinctions. Most researchers in this field, known as micropaleontologists, are typically specialists in one or more taxonomic groups.
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