Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology : a community-driven project

Title data

Smith, Jansen A. ; Dowding, Elizabeth M. ; Abdelhady, Ahmed A. ; Abondio, Paolo ; Araújo, Ricardo ; Aze, Tracy ; Balisi, Mairin A. ; Buatois, Luis A. ; Carvajal-Chitty, Humberto ; Chattopadhyay, Devapriya ; Coiro, Mario ; Dietl, Gregory P. ; González Arango, Catalina ; Kevrekidis, Charalampos ; Kimmig, Julien ; Mychajliw, Alexis M. ; Pimiento, Catalina ; Regalado Fernández, Omar Rafael ; Schroeder, Katlin M. ; Warnock, Rachel C. M. ; Yang, Tzu-Ruei ; Yasuhara, Moriaki ; Akita, Lailah Gifty ; Allen, Bethany J. ; Anderson, Brendan M. ; Andréoletti, Jérémy ; Archuby, Fernando M. ; Ballen, Gustavo A. ; Bari, Md. Ibrahimul ; Benton, Michael J. ; Bergh, Eugene W. ; Brambilla, Luciano ; Brombacher, Anieke ; Chan, Yong Kit Samuel ; Chiarenza, Alfio Alessandro ; Chinzorig, Tsogtbaatar ; Coates, Kadane M. ; Cordie, David R. ; Cortés-Sánchez, Miguel ; Cruz-Vega, Eduardo J. ; Cybulski, Jonathan D. ; De Baets, Kenneth ; De Entrambasaguas, Julia ; Dillon, Erin M. ; Du, Andrew ; Dunhill, Alexander M. ; Erlandson, Jon M. ; Forel, Marie-Béatrice ; Foster, William J. ; Gates, Terry A. ; Gavryushkina, Alexandra ; Grace, Molly K. ; Grossart, Hans-Peter ; Hänsel, Patrick ; Harnik, Paul G. ; Hopkins, Melanie Jane ; Hopkins, Samantha S. B. ; Hu, Keyi ; Huang, Huai-Hsuan M. ; Irmis, Randall B. ; Jaques, Victory A. J. ; Jenkins, Xavier A. ; Jukar, Advait M. ; Kelley, Patricia H. ; Kihn, Romina G. ; Klompmaker, Adiël A. ; Kocsis, Ádám T. ; Kriwet, Jürgen ; Lazarus, David ; Liao, Chun-Chi ; Lin, Chien-Hsiang ; Louys, Julien ; Lozano-Fernandez, Jesus ; Lozano-Francisco, María Carmen ; Lueders-Dumont, Jessica A. ; Malvé, Mariano E. ; Martindale, Rowan C. ; Mazzini, Ilaria ; Modenini, Giorgia ; Mondal, Subhronil ; Mondini, Mariana ; Monferran, Mateo D. ; Mulvey, Laura P. A. ; Nanglu, Karma ; Nguyen, Jacqueline M. T. ; Norris, Richard ; O'Dea, Aaron ; Ollendorf, Amy L. ; Orihuela, Johanset ; Pandolfi, John M. ; Pereira, Telmo ; Piro, Alejandra ; Plotnick, Roy E. ; Plaza-Torres, Stephanie M. ; Porto, Arthur ; Prieto-Márquez, Albert ; Punyasena, Surangi W. ; Quental, Tiago B. ; Raja, Nussaïbah B. ; Ranaivosoa, Voajanahary ; Ribas-Deulofeu, Lauriane ; Rivals, Florent ; Roden, Vanessa Julie ; Rosso, Antonietta ; Saleh, Farid ; Salvador, Rodrigo Brincalepe ; Saupe, Erin E. ; Schneider, Simon ; Sclafani, Judith A. ; Smith, Martin R. ; Souron, Antoine ; Steinbauer, Manuel ; Stewart, Mathew ; Tambussi, Claudia P. ; Thomas, Ellen ; Tschopp, Emanuel ; Tütken, Thomas ; Varela, Sara ; Vezzosi, Raúl I. ; Villaseñor, Amelia ; Weinkauf, Manuel F. G. ; Zanno, Lindsay E. ; Zhang, Chi ; Zhao, Qi ; Kiessling, Wolfgang:
Identifying the Big Questions in paleontology : a community-driven project.
In: Paleobiology. (2025) . - pp. 1-24.
ISSN 1938-5331
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2025.10042

Official URL:

Abstract in another language

Paleontology provides insights into the history of the planet, from the origins of life billions of years ago to the biotic changes of the Recent. The scope of paleontological research is as vast as it is varied, and the field is constantly evolving. In an effort to identify “Big Questions” in paleontology, experts from around the world came together to build a list of priority questions the field can address in the years ahead. The 89 questions presented herein (grouped within 11 themes) represent contributions from nearly 200 international scientists. These questions touch on common themes including biodiversity drivers and patterns, integrating data types across spatiotemporal scales, applying paleontological data to contemporary biodiversity and climate issues, and effectively utilizing innovative methods and technology for new paleontological insights. In addition to these theoretical questions, discussions touch upon structural concerns within the field, advocating for an increased valuation of specimen-based research, protection of natural heritage sites, and the importance of collections infrastructure, along with a stronger emphasis on human diversity, equity, and inclusion. These questions offer a starting point—an initial nucleus of consensus that paleontologists can expand on—for engaging in discussions, securing funding, advocating for museums, and fostering continued growth in shared research directions.

Further data

Item Type:	Article in a journal
Refereed:	Yes
Institutions of the University:	Faculties > Faculty of Biology, Chemistry and Earth Sciences Faculties > Faculty of Cultural Studies > Department of Sport Science > Chair Sport Ecology Profile Fields > Advanced Fields > Ecology and the Environmental Sciences Research Institutions > Central research institutes > Bayreuth Center of Ecology and Environmental Research- BayCEER
Result of work at the UBT:	Yes
DDC Subjects:	500 Science > 500 Natural sciences 500 Science > 550 Earth sciences, geology 500 Science > 560 Fossils, prehistoric life 500 Science > 570 Life sciences, biology 500 Science > 580 Plants (Botany)
Date Deposited:	06 Oct 2025 08:03
Last Modified:	06 Oct 2025 08:03
URI:	https://eref.uni-bayreuth.de/id/eprint/94829