Happy National Fossil Day! Every October, National Fossil Day invites us to step back—way back—into Earth’s deep past to celebrate the remnants of life that came long before us. Fossils are more than just ancient bones; they’re preserved remains, traces, or imprints of organisms that lived at least 10,000 years ago. These can include shells, bones, petrified wood, exoskeletons, even DNA fragments and objects trapped in amber. Collectively, they make up what scientists call the fossil record—a vast library of life’s history written in stone.
The word fossil comes from the Latin fossilis, meaning “dug up.” That was its original meaning when it entered English around the 1600s, before evolving to describe preserved remains by 1736. But humans have been fascinated by fossils long before that. Some of the earliest examples date back to the Neanderthals, who embedded fossilized shells in their stone tools and jewelry.
Fossils have even shaped human imagination. Ancient Greeks may have drawn inspiration for myths like the Cyclops from fossil finds—particularly the skulls of ancient elephants, whose large central nasal cavity could easily be mistaken for a single eye socket.
The oldest known fossils, dating back 3.48 to 4.1 billion years, are stromatolites—layered rock formations created by microbes. These relics from Western Australia and Greenland capture some of the earliest evidence of life on Earth.
Fast forward to the 17th century, when the first dinosaur fossils were discovered and mistakenly thought to be the remains of giants or elephants. That changed in 1824 when English scientist William Buckland correctly identified the Megalosaurus—the first dinosaur ever named—as a massive, extinct reptile.
Today, fossils still captivate scientists and collectors alike. The fossil market has grown dramatically, with record-breaking sales like the Stegosaurus Apex, which sold for $44.6 million in 2024 and now resides at the American Museum of Natural History.
Some discoveries even come with a rock-star twist. Scientists have named fossils after cultural icons—from a fish called Kooteninchela deppi (inspired by Johnny Depp’s Edward Scissorhands) to Jaggermeryx naida, a lip-heavy mammal named for Mick Jagger. And in 2024, a 190-million-year-old Jurassic worm was dubbed Serpula alicecooperi in honor of Alice Cooper.
On National Fossil Day, take a moment to marvel at these time capsules of life. Each fossil tells a story—not just of the creature it once was, but of the Earth itself, always changing, always alive with discovery.