E103 Introduction to Fossils    This poster begins by explaining what fossils are and how a few pioneering scientists eventually realized that they were the remains or traces of once-living organisms. Many people think fossils are petrified bones but bone-type fossils are actually rocks. They are the result of a process called mineralization in which minerals replace decaying tissue. This process is shown and explained. All of the other fossil types are also explored. The rarity of fossils is dramatically presented (see below) and strange things sometimes mistaken for fossils are identified. There’s a great section on fossil expeditions and one that discusses what fossils tell us. All of this is accompanied by detailed illustrations showing the processes and excellent photographs of representative specimens.      There is an especially helpful section on the relationship of fossils to geology. It covers the principal of original horizontality, the law of superimposition, the principle of faunal succession, geological time charts, index fossils, and both relative and absolute dating. This poster is a great aid to museum interpretive programs and extremely beneficial in the study of both life and earth sciences. Laminated No. E103L $18.95 Non-Laminated No. E103F $9.95