Essay Questions

What is a paleontologist, as opposed to an archaeologist?

A paleontologist is a person who studies the evolution of fossils to find out the evolution of the human beings. A paleontologist is different from an archeologist in the sense he does not deal with human remains and with human settlements that may be found in different areas of the world. Paleontologist deal with evidence of life as early as the first stages of the planet, more than 11.500 years ago. A paleontologist may sometimes dig at sites for fossils or analyze the fossils already discovered in labs and using various examination methods.

What is a hynerpeton?

Neil mentions in the first chapter how he found a bone from a hynerpeton in his hometown of Philadelphia together with one of his students. A hynerpeton is a being that lived almost 360 million years ago in lakes. It is considered as being one of the first creatures to develop four limbs and to have the possibility of leaving the water and surviving on land. Neil Shubin, the author of the book, is the first one to have discovered a bone belonging to the amphibian in 1993.

What are skates?

Skates are cartilaginous fishes that can be described as having flat bodies and whose mouths are placed on the underside of the body. They are usually found in deep waters and more commonly found near the north were the water is generally colder. In the third chapter, they are described as being cousins with sharks since they have some similarities. Their psychical appearance however is more similar to that of a stingray.