The Rotten Side of Ancient Life

Around 500 million years ago, diverse animal life suddenly arrived on the scene. This exceptional menagerie, including fishy fossils, are interpreted as our earliest ancestors. These fossils have been a source of controversy however. Light is now being shed on this evolutionary conundrum from a rather smelly direction - rotten fish. Studying during the decay of modern vertebrates is informing our understanding of how the anatomy of fossil representatives changed during their preservation.

Bog bodies, freeze-dried corpses, miraculously preserved saints, mummified Egyptian kings - preserved bodies are amongst the most spectacular and informative discoveries made by archaeologists. This talk will examine the circumstances under which bodies become preserved instead of decaying, and will discuss the role that the preserved dead have played in societies past and present.