Free public lecture by Professor David Siveter of the Department of Geology

Our understanding of the history and evolution of life on Earth relies heavily on the fossil record and especially on rare cases of so-called ‘exceptional preservation’, where soft parts of animals and entire soft-bodied animals are preserved. Such exceptionally preserved fossils provide an unparalleled view of animal palaeobiology and biodiversity.

This lecture will illustrate beautifully preserved fossils through geological time. It will focus especially on spectacular finds from two of the world’s most important fossil assemblages, from 530 million year old rocks in China and 425 million year old rocks in the Welsh Borderland.

These deposits contain a wide range of marine animals that lived on the sea floor and in the water column, including sponges, worms, starfish, snails and other molluscs, sea spiders, crustaceans and their relatives of various kinds including evidence for the world’s oldest male! These fossils are crucial in helping to fill a gap in our knowledge of the history and ecology of life and in resolving controversies about the relationships of animals still alive today.

• Lecture poster (PDF)
• Department of Geology