The study of science that focuses on life that existed from 11,700 years ago and before is called Paleontology. Examining fossils is one of the key components to paleontology, as it allows scientists to determine an organism's evolution, as well as how they interacted with their environments and communities. It is an important science that stems back as far as 5^th century BC, and is constantly evolving every day.

The history of paleontology goes back as far as 500 BC, with the Greek philosopher Xenophanes. He would use fossil sea shells to conclude that parts of the land were once under water. While this is the first example historically of paleontology, it would not become established until around 1800. The rise of it was due in part to the rise of geological societies as well as public interest into museums. This would lead to a great deal of geologists and fossil specialists arising in the 19^th century.

Paleontology is a science located between biology and geology. It is different from archaeology because it does not study the bones of modern humans. Paleontology uses a wide variety of tools from many different sciences, including biochemistry, engineering, and mathematics. Using these techniques has unlocked hidden secrets to evolution, and allows us to see as far back as our discoveries allow. This can stem to the start of Earth being able to support life 3.8 billion years ago.

Often described as a historical science, paleontology aims to paint a picture of past life on the planet. There are three main elements to paleontology: describing the phenomena (occurrence), creating a theory as to how it changed, and using the data acquired from the previous two to apply to specific facts. Using this method allows for paleontologists to keep consistent between their work, as well as create a standard for new paleontologists to follow.

Paleontologists are constantly on the lookout for evidence to prove a hypothesis above all others. This evidence is sometimes discovered completely by accident during research. An example of this is Luis Alvarez and Walter Alverez's discovery of an iridium rich layer at the Cretaceous-Tertiary (between the dinosaurs and after the dinosaurs). This layer would make an asteroid impact as well as massive volcanic activity the biggest components to the dinosaurs going extinct.

As paleontology has evolved, subdivisions into it have been created. An example of this would be vertebrate paleontology, which concentrates on fossils from vertebrates. This includes the earliest fish, to modern mammal's ancestors. Invertebrate paleontology deals with the exact opposite, dealing with animals that are invertebrates likes mollusks, arthropods, annelid worms, and echinoderms. Paleobotany is the study of fossilized plants, but includes algae and fungi as well. There is a great deal of divisions, but these are the major ones that explore the fossils of living organisms.

There are many examples of paleontology throughout history, and with advances in technology we are unlocking new things about the earth's past. New eras, new species, new time lines, and more importantly figuring out where humans originated from are some of the highlights of what paleontology brings to the table. It is a deep, intricate study with many layers, much like our earth of which is dug into to find these wonderful and mysterious fossils.

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