PALEONTOLOGY

Paleontology or palaeontology (pron.: / ˌ peɪlɪɒntɒlədʒi /, / ˌ peɪlɪəntɒlədʒi / or / ˌ pælɪɒntɒlədʒi /, / ˌ pælɪəntɒlədʒi /) is the scientific study of prehistoric life. It includes the study of fossils to determine organisms' evolution and interactions With Each Other and Their environments (their Paleoecology). As a "historical science" it attempts to explain causes rather than conduct experiments to observe effects. Paleontological observations have been documented as far back as the 5th century BC. The science became established in the 18th century as a result of Georges Cuvier's work on comparative anatomy, and developed rapidly in the 19th century.

Paleontology lies on the border between biology and geology, and shares with archeology a border That Is difficult to define. It now uses techniques drawn from a wide range of sciences, treats including biochemistry, mathematics and engineering. Use of all these techniques has enabled paleontologists to discover much of the evolutionary history of life, almost all the way back to when the earth became capable of supporting life, about 3,800 million years ago. As knowledge has Increased, paleontology has developed specialized sub​​-divisions, some of which focus on different types of fossil organisms while others study ecology and environmental history, such as ancient climates

The Danish palaeontologist Peter Wilhelm Lund, known as the father of Brazilian paleontology, discovered a cave filled with human bones (15 skeletons) and megafauna(very large mammals) dating to the Pleistocene era. Eugen Warming assisted Lund 1863-1866, and described the flora of the area and the adaptations of the plants to the hazards of cerrado – drought and fire – in a work that still stands as a paradigm of ecological study ('Lagoa Santa').

A century later, in the 1970s, French archeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire carried out excavations in the area and discovered the oldest human fossil in Brazil, over 11 thousand years old, given the nickname Luzia.

The Lagoa Santa Man

Bones found in Lagoa Santa, MG, Brazil.

Human bones discovered in Lagoa Santa region are challenging theories about the human occupation of the American continent for two reasons. First because the fossils found are much older than the dates established by these theories to the occupation of America. Second because the biologist Walter Neves Alves, USP, humans who inhabited the region had Negroid features, not Mongoloid how all the Native Americans until now are known.

The skeleton of a woman found in the cave of Lapa Vermelha IV in Lagoa Santa Luzia earned the nickname, given by Walter Neves alluding to the fossil Lucy, Female espécie Australopithecus afarensis found in Ethiopia in 1974 (which has 3.5 million years).

Lucy is the oldest human skeleton ever found in the Americas. She lived 11,500 years ago, being a legitimate representative of the Lagoa Santa Man, as they became known by science humans who inhabited the region in the past.

The largest research project in Brazil takes place in Pedro Leopoldo and is defended by Walter Neves. Lagoa Santa in turn is part of this context is one of the cities that encompasses this project, earning the merits of this disclosure.

Luzia Woman (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈzi.ɐ]) is the name for the skeleton of a Paleo-Indian woman found in a cave in Brazil. Some archaeologists believe the young woman may have been part of the first wave of immigrants to South America. Nicknamed Luzia (her name pays homage to the famous African fossil "Lucy", who lived 3.2 million years ago), the 11,500 year-old skeleton was found in Lapa Vermelha, Brazil, in 1975 by archaeologist Annette Laming-Emperaire.