Ken Lacovara

And so we have to document everything very carefully, curate the material very carefully, make sure it's preserved forever so that scientists 200 years from now can study these same fossils.

And so we have to document everything very carefully, curate the material very carefully, make sure it's preserved forever so that scientists 200 years from now can study these same fossils.

Well, so you're looking for things that used to be alive. So you want to look for the hallmarks of life, which is pattern, form, symmetry. If you find something that looks like a random clump of dirt, it's probably a random clump of dirt, right?

Well, so you're looking for things that used to be alive. So you want to look for the hallmarks of life, which is pattern, form, symmetry. If you find something that looks like a random clump of dirt, it's probably a random clump of dirt, right?

Well, so you're looking for things that used to be alive. So you want to look for the hallmarks of life, which is pattern, form, symmetry. If you find something that looks like a random clump of dirt, it's probably a random clump of dirt, right?

So there are fossils right here. I see some fossils right here.

So there are fossils right here. I see some fossils right here.

So there are fossils right here. I see some fossils right here.

I do. I see fossils everywhere. So there you go. You found your first fossil.

I do. I see fossils everywhere. So there you go. You found your first fossil.

I do. I see fossils everywhere. So there you go. You found your first fossil.

This is a fossil sponge. So a sponge is a little filter feeding organism that lives on the sea floor. They draw in water and they have these little cilia, these little hairs, and they filter feed what's in the water. And you just found a 66 million year old fossil sponge. What? Yep.

This is a fossil sponge. So a sponge is a little filter feeding organism that lives on the sea floor. They draw in water and they have these little cilia, these little hairs, and they filter feed what's in the water. And you just found a 66 million year old fossil sponge. What? Yep.

This is a fossil sponge. So a sponge is a little filter feeding organism that lives on the sea floor. They draw in water and they have these little cilia, these little hairs, and they filter feed what's in the water. And you just found a 66 million year old fossil sponge. What? Yep.