fossil record

Cultural

A term used by paleontologists (see paleontology) to refer to the total number of fossils that have been discovered, as well as to the information derived from them. (See evolution of Earth.)

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fossil record

Major gaps in the fossil record have left long stretches of their early history almost invisible.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 19, 2026

The discovery helps to reveal more about how these beasts lived in a part of the world where the fossil record is sparse.

From BBC ● Jun. 29, 2026

To untangle these possibilities, we need much larger comparative datasets of lesions in wild primates, only then can we begin to trace broader patterns and refine our interpretations of the fossil record.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 8, 2026

The oldest skin bones in the fossil record may date back 475 million years.

From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026

He admitted that one could not see the intermediate stages of a species’ development in the fossil record.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023