International working groups in paleontology formulate “Big Questions”
The involvement of around 200 researchers from over 30 different countries and more than five years’ work have resulted in 89 “Big Questions” – the most important research questions in paleontology still to be answered. The questions have now been published in the journal Paleobiology. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kießling, Chair of Paleoenvironmental Analysis at Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), is senior author of the study.
Prof. Kießling emphasizes the significance of the study for paleontology as a whole: “The big questions in established disciplines such as physics or biomedicine have been clearly formulated for a long time, and have made significant contributions to scientific progress. The fact that we are now taking the same step in paleontology is an important sign for the development of our subject.”
The initiative is based on a global process, during which over 500 questions were collected. The questions were divided up into 13 topic groups and discussed and summarized by working groups. The aim is to find ideas for new projects. The project was financed with almost one million euros of funding from the Volkswagen Foundation.
Why the questions are so important for the public
The topics range from mass extinctions to patterns in biodiversity to structural questions such as the importance of museum collections. Because the questions examine the consequences of climate change and extinction, research into the questions is of major significance to the general public.
This is made particularly clear with the following question, for example: “How can we best use the fossil record to predict climate change impacts on the modern biota?” from the topic “Climate Change Past and Present”, which investigates how well these data can be used for the current climate crisis.
In addition, the question “What is the role of cascading biological effects in extinction dynamics?” from the topic “Extinction Dynamics” looks at how probable it is that the disappearance of individual species can trigger devastating chain reactions in further extinction events in the ecosystems.
The face behind the 89 questions
“The aim was to jointly identify the most important unanswered questions in paleontology. These questions now build a roadmap for research, funding and international collaboration,” says Dr. Jansen Smith, lead author of the study. He participated in the project from September 2020 until November 2022 as a postdoctoral researcher at the Chair of Paleoenvironmental Analysis at FAU. Today, he is a professor at the University of Minnesota Duluth, USA.
Link to original publication of “Big Questions in Paleontology“
More information:
Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kießling
Chair of Paleoenvironmental Analysis (GeoZentrum Nordbayern)
Phone: + 49 9131 85-26959
wolfgang.kiessling@fau.de