Use of Fossils

The oldest fossils on Earth are about 3.8 billion years old, or almost a billion years younger
than the planet itself. Plants, animals and insects can all leave fossilized remains, but
organisms that are completely soft-bodied, such as jellyfish, are less likely to leave fossils
when they're gone. Hard body parts like teeth, bone and shell are most likely to be
preserved.

Peeking into the Past

Fossil remains can give us insight into how prehistoric plants and animals obtained food,
reproduced and even how they behaved. At times fossils can also provide evidence for how
or why the fossil organism died.

Dating Layers of the Earth

Fossils aren't used only to understand individual organisms. Geologists also use fossils for
what's called biostratigraphic correlation, which allows researchers to match layers of rock
in different locations by age based on how similar the fossils in each rock layer are. This
information can be used to help understand when different layers of rock were formed even
when large distances separate them.

Documenting Changes

Environmental interpretation, or understanding how the Earth has changed over time, is
another area where fossils supply invaluable evidence. The type of fossil found in a
particular location tells us what kind of environment existed when the fossil was formed.
For example, if you find fossil marine animals like brachiopods in the sandstone in your
backyard, you know that there must have once been an ocean where your house now
stands.

Fossils and Oil

Fossils also have practical and commercial applications. The oil used in our energy and
plastics industries tends to collect in specific types of rock layers. Because fossils can be
used to understand the age of different rock layers as described above, studying the fossils
that surface when digging oil wells can help workers locate oil and gas reserves.

And of course, coal, oil and gas are themselves called "fossil fuels" because they're formed
from the organic remains of prehistoric organisms.

Evolution

Perhaps one of the most important functions of fossils from a scientific perspective is that
they constitute one line of evidence for understanding evolution. Using information pieced
together from fossil evidence, scientists can reconstruct body types of animals that no
longer exist and put together a "Tree of Life" to describe the evolutionary relationships
between organisms.
The Fossil Record

Fossilization is a relatively rare process. Most organisms are not preserved in the fossil
record. Because soft-bodied organisms, for example, usually don't form fossils, there can be
"gaps" in the fossil record.

Many exceptional deposits of fossils nevertheless provide a surprisingly detailed glimpse

into the past and allow scientists to piece together a more complete picture of the history of
life on Earth.

What are Fossil Fuels?

A fossil fuel is a fuel derived from the remains of living organisms. Oil, coal and natural gas
are the examples of fossil fuels.

Fossil fuels are natural fuels like coal or gas formed in the past periods through
decomposition of material remains of living matter.

List of Advantages of Fossil Fuels

1. They produce large amounts of energy.
These energy sources are easily combustible, where most combustion engines just need
a little amount of them to power up. Industrial revolution has popularized their use,
where all machines, vehicles and some devices depend on the fossil fuels, may it be
petroleum, coal or natural gas.
2. They are easily available. 
Since fossil fuels have been of such a great utility, more extractions are done every day.
With the advancements in science and technology, refineries and extraction procedures
have also improved a lot, making their availability even easier.
3. They are stable.
 Composed of the molecules of mainly carbon and hydrogen, fossil fuels are very stable.
They are easy to store because of the constancy in their molecular constitution, not
forming other compounds if stored in cans for a longer periods of time. This is the same
reason why carrying them is also easier than other forms of fuel.
4. They have high calorific value. 
All energy we produce has a specific calorific value, and the more it is, the more it is
effective. When it comes to fossil fuels, they are the highest producers of calorific value,
which is why they are still preferred over renewable or alternative energy sources.

5. They can be easily stored and transported.

 One big advantage of using fossil fuels is that they can be easily stored and transported.
Having a stable composition, they are strong enough to be carried from one place to
another. Even natural gas is already being transported to different areas.
6. They are easy to set up. 

Since fossil fuels are easily available, their power plants can be constructed anywhere in
the world. They are also easier to extract and process, as well as capable of producing
large amounts of energy at a single location.

7. They cost low. 

Due to their availability throughout the world and easy extraction methods, fossil fuels
are that expensive. To obtain them in a refined form, they just need to be properly
treated without a wide set up, so it is economical. Unlike alternative energy sources, like
wind or solar, investments needed for their facilities are too high, preventing many
people from installing solar panels and wind turbines at home.

List of Disadvantages of Fossil Fuels

1. They pose environmental hazards. 

When burnt, fossil fuels emit carbon dioxide—a greenhouse gas that is the main
culprit of global warming. It is important to note that temperature rises have
resulted the polar ice caps to melt, leading to rises in sea levels and flooding of low-
lying. These conditions would be devastating to many people on the planet.

2. They contribute to acid rain. 

During combustion, fossil fuels also produce sulphur dioxide, which is a factor for
acid rain. This phenomenon destroys monuments that are made of brickwork or
marbles and even crops, which are affected due to loam acidification.

3. They are non-renewable. 

As fossil fuels are extracted to an unlimited level, they would surely deplete one day.
They are non-renewable, so it is likely that fuel expenses will face a hike in near
future, and it would take millions of years to replace them. There are on a limited
amount, and we are not actually sure where that limit is.

4. They affect human health. 

The ozone layer is being worn-out by the greenhouse gases released from fossil
fuels. Ozone holes allow harmful UV rays to enter the Earth’s atmosphere, affecting
human life through diseases, particularly skin cancer. Remember that melanin reacts
with high wave radiations, creating infra-red rays and pigments that are harmful to
our skin.
 5. They come with coal-mining dangers. 

Extracting coal from areas with huge reserves is not only a difficult and dangerous task,
but is also a risk of contracting health conditions to the workers. Aside from this, coal
mining destroys vast lands, which can result in ecological imbalance.

6. They affect marine life through oil spills. 

Fossil fuels, being needed to be transported to their processing plants via land, air and
water poses a threat to the environment. The process can involve leaks in oil tankers or
ships getting drowned deep under the sea. The crude oil contains some toxic substances
that, when mixed up with water, pose serious hazards to marine life.

7. They need huge amounts of reserves. 

Coal power plants need regular and huge supply of resources to produce large amounts
of electricity on a constant basis, which means they need reserves of almost train-loads
of fuel for the power stations to carry out their operations.

8. They have rising prices. 

Countries in the Middle East have huge oil and gas reserves, so many other countries are
dependent on them for constant fuel supply. They comprise the Organization of the
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which is are responsible for almost half the
world’s oil production, even holding the majority of oil reserves. It constantly monitors
the volume of oil consumption and then adjusts its own production to maintain desired
barrel prices. This results oil price fluctuations around the world.

Fossil fuels comprise mainly of coal, oil and gas. These three were formed millions of years
ago beneath the earth’s surface from the decomposed bodies of dead plants and animals.
They are foreseen to be in short supply in the future as man’s fuel needs continue to grow
at a fast rate. 

Crude oil is also referred to as petroleum. Compared to coal, this is easier to extract from
the ground through the use of pipes thereby making it less costly to transport from one
place to another. 

Natural gas has other uses apart from being burned in power plants to generate electricity.
Many people also use it in their home heating systems to provide warm air during the cold
winter season.