In order to achieve these goals, the Museum has an active research section. Working together, researchers provide detailed pictures of Alberta's ancient past. Palaeontology is the study of ancient life. The term comes from the old Greek words palaios , which means ancient, and logos , which means word, or reasoning. Much of our knowledge of the ancient world comes from our study of fossils .
Fossils are the remains of ancient plant and animals or the traces of their activities.
Bones, shells and teeth are the best-known fossils. But many others, from footprints to fossil dung to minuscule seeds, are also on display. Scientists do not only seek the new, the strange, the biggest. They increasingly search for clues to past environments, animal behaviour, and evolution . The smallest fossils may hold the most important clues.