How Do Paleontologists Use Computers?

Versatility

• Computers have given paleontologists and students more options when it comes to learning about fossils. According to Steven H. Schimmrich's essay, "Paleontology on the World Wide Web," these machines provide hardware and software for "virtual field trips...which allow students to visit localities they may never see in person." This makes learning faster, easier and cheaper, since paleontologists save a great deal of time and money from working remotely, rather than in the field.

Accessibility

• Computers are capable of storing vast amounts of information. This makes specimens more accessible and easier to study. For example, some fossils are stored in hard drives as three dimensional images. Paleontologists can view these fossils on a screen and manipulate them in different directions to get a thorough view -- even if they are not geographically near where those actual specimens are housed.

Reconstruction

• Although physically digging up fossils gives paleontologists a direct look at their specimens, computers allow them to learn more details that visual examination cannot provide. For example, these individuals can use computer software to add virtual muscles to a specimen. In turn, it reveals a great deal about a dinosaur's muscular structure, such as posture and gait.

Experimentation

• Like in any field of research, mistakes get made before accurate facts are established. Since dinosaurs are extinct, paleontologists cannot observe them to see how they function. Luckily, computers let them create "genetic algorithms." These programs create random simulations, assigning different unknown physical structures to a fossil. Through trial and error, the algorithm eventually designs a muscular structure that allows a dinosaur to walk. Computers also let paleontologists analyze fossilized footprints. Although the prints alone provide insight into how dinosaurs walked, many variables can make this difficult to determine. For example, the physical makeup of the terrain can skew a paleontologist's interpretation. They can simulate the footprints using mud molds, but this is "extraordinarily time-consuming and difficult to repeat accurately." Computers allow paleontologists to see how "virtual feet touch down on digital soil." They can then examine the footprints from different angles, generating information much more quickly.