当代古生物学新进展及发展方向

Advances in Palaeontology in the World

认为19世纪中叶达尔文进化论的诞生,促成古生物学作为一门独立学科问世。经历一个世纪的迟滞发展之后,由于本世纪60年代以来出现的生物学新理论、板块构造学说以及大量新技术新手段的引进,古生物学又发生了巨大的进步。世界8大古生物学宝库——奇迹般保存下来的精美生物软体化石群使生物史面貌日渐清晰;新技术新手段使人们看到化石生物构造一个崭新的奇妙微观世界;数学方法和计算机的引进,古生物学逐渐由定性描述进入定量研究阶段;而哲学新思辨,促使古生物学逐渐成为一门完善的理性学科。

As the Darwin's theory of evolution came into being in the middle of last century,Palaeontology emerged as an independent subject. After a sluggish way of a century, a great progress has been made in palaeontology since 1960s, when plate tectonics theory and new biological theories appeared and a lot of new techniques and approaches were introduced into this old subject. Intensive investigations into eight great fossil Lagerstatten (treasure--houses), in which numerous soft-bodied fossils are beautifully preserved, have made evolutionary history of life more clearly be seen and understandable. A completely new intriguing microeosmos of fossils can be seen through new approaches and by means of new techniques. Palaeontology has been advancing from qualitative description to quantitative analysis by introduction of various mathematical methods and computer, and it is now beeomig a rational subject (palaeobiology) in philosophical contention.