GEOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Paleontological research dates back to the early 1800s. In 1815 the English geologist William Smith demonstrated the value of using fossils for the study of strata. About the same time, the French zoologist Georges Cuvier initiated comparative studies of the structure of living animals with fossil remains.

Detailed explanation-2: -Without a doubt, Georges Cuvier possessed one of the finest minds in history. Almost single-handedly, he founded vertebrate paleontology as a scientific discipline and created the comparative method of organismal biology, an incredibly powerful tool.

Detailed explanation-3: -Paleontological observations have been documented as far back as the 5th century BC. The science became established in the 18th century as a result of Georges Cuvier’s work on comparative anatomy, and developed rapidly in the 19th century.

Detailed explanation-4: -First Discoveries-1840s to 1850s The first discoveries of ancient human fossils. Neanderthals were the first ancient humans to gain scientific and popular recognition. Their fossils began to be found in Europe in the 1800s but scientists had no perspective or evolutionary framework by which to explain them.