Paleontology
Paleontology is a basic science concerned with the evolutionary history of life. Areas of detailed knowledge will include vertebrate and invertebrate paleobiology, evolutionary biology, systematics, functional morphology, sedimentology, stratigraphy, and platetectonics.
Honours Bachelor of Science
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- Paleontology
- Archaeologist
- Researcher
- Archivist
- Museum Worker
Admission Requirements
Regional Requirements
Admissions RequirementsLife in Paleontology
Buzz Around Campus
Scientists have long believed that snakes lost their limbs through evolution, and UTM biology professor Robert Reisz says there is a very rich fossil record of snakes that have the cranial adaptations of a snake, and still have remnants of limbs. But the conclusion of this latest discovery didn’t sit well with him and his colleagues.
Invertebrate paleontologist Marc Laflamme is no stranger to the fieldwork. The assistant professor of chemical and physical sciences and head of the Laflamme Lab at U of T Mississauga has spent his career scouring alien terrains like the rocky interior of Namibia for fossil evidence of creatures that lived—and died—millions of years ago.
Ever wondered how fish spend the winter? Using new technology, researchers from U of T Mississauga have taken a peek beneath the winter ice to reveal surprising new information about aquatic environments in winter.
Sample Courses
This course will examine the complex nature of minerals and crystals from a geological, physical and chemical perspective and will introduce the petrology of volcanic rocks, intrusive plutonic rocks, metamorphic rocks, and sedimentary rocks.
An introduction to geological time and the dynamic evolution of the surface of the Earth. Lectures discuss the processes involved in the deformation of Earth's crust including mechanical principals, stress, and strain. Particular focus on the structure of rocks.
The integration of the major organ systems involved in human biomechanics. A comparative approach is taken, placing the structure and function of the skeletal, muscular and nervous systems in an evolutionary context.
Other Programs to Consider
Anthropology (HBSc)
Anthropology is the study of humankind from its beginnings to the present day. anthropology seeks to understand the whole panorama of human existence -- in geographic space and evolutionary time -- through comparative and holistic study.
Ecology & Evolution
Ecology and evolution are sister disciplines, both encompassing the study of natural selection, life history, development, adaptation, population, and inheritance. Ecology and evolution are broad disciplines seeking to understand the origins, diversity, and distribution of organisms.
Environmental Geosciences
Completion of this program is intended to fulfill the knowledge requirements for certification as a Professional Geoscientist (P. Geo.) in conformity with the stipulations of the Association of Professional Geoscientists of Ontario (APGO) and the Canadian Council of Professional Geoscientists (CCPG).