Though it looks like a fresco from ancient Greece, this is the fossilized remains of a fern found in Córdoba, Spain. The fossil dates back to the Carboniferous period, roughly 350 million years ago. This is a "compression fossil"—where a small amount of the original plant material was retained with the mineral deposits that helped form the impression. Why all the paleobotany talk? It"s National Fossil Day, and we’re excited! Whether you make a trip to your local natural history museum, trek off to a national park with a fossil exhibit, or just look at fossil photos on the web, we hope you find a fun way to celebrate National Fossil Day.
Paleontology meets art
Today in History
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Necropolis of Dargavs
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A wetland in Västmanland, Sweden
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International Sloth Day
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Last stop before leaving the solar system
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Shark Fin Cove, California
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Blackbird in Essex, England
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’Chess on ice’
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Castle Day in Japan
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International Day of Mangrove Conservation
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Gone ‘lightseeing’ in Berlin
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Diwali
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Commemorating the life of a famous railroad conductor
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World Laughter Day
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Memorial Day
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Combating extinction with citizen science
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A great white egret in Hungary
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Step into the dark
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International Day of Color
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Huntington Beach Pier, California, at sunset
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Fibonacci Day
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World Rivers Day
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It’s surströmming time
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New Orleans for Mardi Gras
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A red knot on the Shetland Islands, Scotland
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Presidents Day in America’s front yard
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Invisible no longer
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Lençóis Maranhenses National Park in Brazil
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It s Mountain Day in Japan
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Papa was a flightless bird
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Groundhog Day arrives—beyond a shadow of a doubt