Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

The number of known human fossils only increases slowly. But the manner of regarding and assessing them is capable of progressing rapidly, as indeed it does. In the absence of any absolutely sensational discovery in prehistory, there is an up-to-date and scientific manner of understanding man, which is solidly based on palaeontology.

French Philosopher

Jean M. Auel

Science Fiction is not just about the future of space ships travelling to other planets, it is fiction based on science and I am using science as my basis for my fiction, but it's the science of prehistory - palaeontology and archaeology - rather than astronomy or physics.

American Writer

Alice Roberts

The history of palaeontology is littered with examples of famous frauds and fakes, often with eminent researchers in the field being thoroughly hoodwinked by some fairly shoddy fabrications.

English Scientist

Greg Graffin

I got interested in palaeontology and vertebrate history - sparked by books on human evolution - then vertebrate evolution. Studying with palaeontologists kindled my interest in fieldwork.

American Musician

Penelope Lively

I'm not an historian but I can get interested - obsessively interested - with any aspect of the past, whether it's palaeontology or archaeology or the very recent past.

English Author

Palaeontology is an academic discipline, often taught in universities and researched by scientists.

Academic Field

Pronounced 'pay-lee-on-tol-uh-jee', stressing the third syllable 'on'.

Pronunciation

The focus of palaeontology is on life forms that existed in the past, not current species.