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• 1 2018-10-16T11:28:34-07:00 Subterranean Marginal Worlds and Fossilisation 3 plain 2018-10-16T11:53:44-07:00 - Antonia Parker
  
  I was really struck by the Marginal Worlds group that focused on subterranean marginal worlds. There's obviously a strong link between Extinctions and underground through fossils. Fossils are, after all, account for a lot of what we know about extinct organisms. 
  
  The way Marginal Worlds discussed the subterranean world as "secret" and "concealed" fascinated me. This quote was particularly striking:

  Subterranean worlds are controlled environments; receiving limited supplies compared to the 'mainstream' world with its abundance of light, exposure to elements, and varied ecosystems.

  This is a very good description of the entire process of fossilisation. Fossilisation is very rare, occurring only when specific environmental factors happen to align, and as a result the vast majority of creatures that have lived on this planet have left no record of their passing. Fossils therefore fit Marginal Worlds very well, especially subterranean Marginal Worlds. After all, fossils are "underground" in both senses of the word: literally buried in the earth, and also beneath the attention of the mainstream. This probably isn't helped by the fact fossils are often displayed in caves.
  
  So it makes a lot of sense to look at fossils (and by extension Extinctions) as types of Marginal Worlds. This completely astonished me. I have never considered this, and it felt like a massive revelation. So much of my life, particularly since I started university, has revolved around extinctions and, in the last couple of years especially, fossils. Palaeontology is a massively important part of my life, and to realise that most people considered this marginal, if they considered it at all, was mind-blowing.
  
  This link between Marginal Worlds and Extinctions is, I suppose, a more personal one for me, but still important I think. After all, is that not the purpose of this course? To force us to question things we've taken for granted (plant blindness springs to mind here)? To leave behind our habit of dividing things into categories, and instead trying to learn how to see the interconnectedness of all things?