1 mai 2025|
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|7 months agoSwiss Research Breakthrough: Why Some Animals Become Fossils
University of Lausanne scientists reveal groundbreaking findings on fossil preservation, showing how animal size and protein content determine fossilization likelihood.
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Generated IllustrationKey Takeaways
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- Animal size and chemical composition are the decisive factors in determining fossilization potential.
- Large, protein-rich animals create low-oxygen environments during decomposition, significantly aiding preservation.
- Large arthropods like insects, crabs, and spiders are statistically more likely to fossilize than simple organisms like flatworms.
- Soft tissues such as muscles, intestines, and brains can be preserved under specific chemical conditions.
By The Numbers
Millions of years
Preservation duration
Zero
Observation probability
They Said
"It is therefore quite possible that some organisms could never be preserved in fossil form and that we will therefore never be able to observe them at all or only with great difficulty."
"The decisive factor is the body of the animals themselves."