Discover how rare fossils preserve skin, muscles, organs and even eyes. In this masterclass, Dr Thomas Clements explores how decay and bacterial activity can drive fossilisation, revealing how palaeontologists use biology, chemistry and geology to uncover extraordinary fossils and the stories they tell about life on Earth.
Why do some rare fossils preserve skin, muscle, internal organs and even eyes, when normally, nearly every dead animal simply rots away?
The surprising answer is that decay, the very process that normally destroys a carcass, is also what makes preservation possible. To understand the fossils we find, we first have to understand how animals rot.
In this masterclass, Dr Thomas Clements takes you inside the lab, where controlled decay experiments on modern animals reveal how bacteria drive the mineralisation that captures soft tissues in rock. You'll see how palaeontologists combine biology, chemistry, and geology to read the clues in exceptional fossils, and what those clues tell us about the history of life on Earth.
Curious about the world around you?
Our Super-Curricular Webinar Series explores a range of fascinating topics, giving you the chance to hear from University academics. Discover new perspectives, explore current issues, and gain insight into how these topics are studied and applied in higher education and beyond.
All webinars will be recorded. If you sign up you will be able to access the recording after the event.