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Resources
We have gathered a selection of links to external websites which host fossil and related content. There's a good mix of educational and fun content which we hope you will find interesting and informative.
If you have suggestions for good fossil resources or would like us to link to your non-commercial fossil resources, please let us know at info@fossilfestival.com
Information Portals
BBC History of the earth portal. Has a great section on the geological eras of the Earth, each geological time period has great explanations of life at the time, the big five mass extinction events and a tree of life
Natural History Museum Evolution portal. Includes some videos visually demonstrating morphing between archaic life forms and more evolutionary advanced descendents
Natural History Museum Evolution
New Scientist beginners guide to evolution
The complete works of Charles Darwin, freely available online
Geology
Great website on the Jurassic Coast. Jurassic Coast line has a massive online resource dedicated to the Jurassic Coast containing maps, hundreds of video clips and thousands of pictures. Also contains much useful information on tourism, geology, fossils, wildlife, leisure activities and history
Directory of 50 Geology blogs. Links to some aggregators and some specialist interest blogs as well. Great if you're interested in learning about geology or simply want to stay on top of the latest developments.
Mary Anning
Natural History Museum biography of famed Lyme Regis Fossil Hunter extraordinaire
Lyme Regis Museum feature on Mary Anning
Mary Anning at Lyme Regis Museum
Geo fans
Brian Switek is a freelance science writer who is the blogger for evolutionary biology blog, Laelaps. Described by the Times as one of the ‘Top 30 science blogs’. Amusing and insightful, this blog should keep you entertained for hours
Notable fossils
Ida, the oldest complete primate skeleton in the world. Housed at the University of Oslo which has kindly provided a detailed story of the mystery surrounding her
Stromatolites contain some of the oldest fossils found in the world, remnants of microbiological life from as long ago as 3,500,000,000 years ago during the Archean era
The oldest fossil insect in the world, no. In.38234. This was found in Scotland and donated to the Natural History Museum by D.J. Scourfield in 1940
Synapsida, mammal-like reptiles whose descendents eventually evolved into true mammals. Palaeos has many more articles in its free Encyclopaedia on the history of life on Earth
Human evolution fossils in 3D. From Tree Shrews to modern humans. Ten 3D gallery images of skulls in pivotal periods of human evolution
Useful information for schools
Here you will find a range of resources to help you deliver exciting, thought-provoking lessons at a range of key stages and learning abilities. These resources mainly focus on Geography, Citizenship and Science to encourage an appreciation of the values of the Jurassic Coast in the context of World Heritage
Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site
The NHM website has a great range of galleries, events, online videos and activities support a very large number of classroom needs
Natural History Museum: educational resources
The Earth Science Education Unit, based at Keele University, provides no fee INSET (in-service training) to teachers across England, Scotland and Wales, through workshops for schools, teacher meetings and teacher education institutions. Also good online educational features.