Roy Plotnick has a new article over on Medium.  It details the importance of Paleontology in the pantheon of science.  Paleontology isn’t just fossils and dinosaurs…. it’s critical science needed to understand how the planet has and is changing.  In this time of climate change, the knowledge it provides is vital to understanding of where we are and where we’re headed.

The focus on fossils, of course, has many potential positive benefits for paleontology. Dinosaurs and other ancient organisms captivate the public, as attested to by films and television shows, such as Prehistoric Planet. The Jurassic Park and Meg franchises would not exist without paleontologists first showing that dinosaurs and megalodon sharks existed. College general-education classes with a paleontological perspective attract high enrollments. Paleontologists use this interest as a springboard to explore the nature of science and to demonstrate what distinguishes science from other ways of knowing. Paleontology is thus a gateway science for STEM, both at the college and the K–12 level.

The public popularity of paleontology, however, masks deeper issues. Although the Jurassic Park and Meg franchises have earned about $6 billion and nearly $1 billion dollars at the box office, respectively, only a tiny fraction of this has filtered down to support the science that ultimately makes these films possible. Low levels of private and public support of paleontological research have contributed to a reduction in the number of paleontologists in academia, where large grants are valued highly and increasingly difficult to obtain. Another contributing factor is the closing of Earth science departments, a primary employer of paleontologists, at too many small and medium-sized institutions. Many Ivy League and Big Ten schools, once central to the training of paleontologists, have sharply reduced or eliminated paleontologists in geoscience departments.

Paleontologists know that understanding life’s past is critical to anticipating and adapting to life’s and humanity’s future. Paleontology is vital because it brings its unique and critical perspective to current challenges in climate change, biodiversity loss and the environment. Paleontologists are prophets of the future because they know the past.