As a respite from the year-end frenzy, Science News offers a creative escape from all the gift-wrapping and gorging of the holiday season. We invite you to dream up some names for the following fossil masterpieces, discussed in the story, "A Billion Years of Beauty."

    The eight images are part of a show called "Fossil Art," created by German paleontologist Adolph Seilacher. Currently at Yale University's Peabody Museum of Natural History, the show is designed to foster a sense of fascination among viewers. As part of this process, Seilacher has given each specimen a fanciful title that often bears little relevance to how the fossils formed.

    In keeping with his philosophy, try composing your own title for each specimen. Let your imagination roam freely, either with or without the help of some eggnog. After you have created your own names, you can click on each image for a scientific description of the fossils, if you're curious.

    Send in your suggestions by e-mail to scinews@sciserv.org, with the words "Fossil Art" in the subject field. Label your names with the corresponding number of each image. Please submit only one title per image. We will run the winning selections in about 3 weeks. Winners receive a Science News Pangaea mug.

¨ ¨ ¨

Compose your own title for each specimen. Label your names with the corresponding number of each image. You can click on each image for a scientific description of the fossils. Send in your suggestions by e-mail to scinews@sciserv.org, with the words "Fossil Art" in the subject field.  Please submit only one title per image.

1. Fingerprints	2. Mud Cracks
3. Lasso Trail	4. Shrimp Burrow Jungle
5. Worm Burrow Jungle	6. Trilobite Pirouette
7. Ornaments on a Deep Sea Bottom	8. Wrong-sided Hands

 

A Billion Years of Beauty

Exhibit of fossils strains the definition of art

A collection of geological designs straddles the divide separating art from science.