Palaeo-
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Palaeo- (or Paleo-) is a prefix, derived from Greek, that connotes an ancient form of something which may be more familiar in a modern form. Thus:
- Palaeontology or Paleontology is the study of the developing history of life on earth, pursued by the Palaeontologist, perhaps with the aid of Paleostatistics or the new science of Paleogenetics, which applies genetics to paleontology, for example tracing the evolution of parasites.
The more specialized studies of early forms of familiar sciences include
- Paleobotany
- Paleozoology
- Paleogeology
- Palaeography
- Paleogeomorphology
- Paleoclimatology
- Paleotempestology studying the signs of prehistoric hurricanes
- Paleomagnetism, studying the Earth's magnetic field preserved in magnetic iron bearing minerals.
- Paleoecology reconstructing the ecosystems of the past.
In the course of life on Earth
- the Palaeozoic is the earliest of the large divisions of Phanerozoic time.
- the Paleoproterozoic is the first of the three sub-divisions of the Proterozoic.
- the Palaeogene, is the earlier part of the Cenozoic, followed by the Neogene.
Paleoanthropology is the study of humankind and may even assess the Paleodiet on which humans subsisted. Earliest forms of stone-chipping technology characterize the Palaeolithic, which preceded the Neolithic.
Early forms of familiar categories of life include:
- Palaeodicotyledons, the basal flowering plants
- Palaeoloxodon, an exinct straight-tusked elephant (Loxodon)
Paleo- combines in:
- Palaeologus, a family of ancient foundation, that was in fact the last dynasty ruling the Byzantine Empire.
- the Paleosiberian languages is a term of convenience in linguistics to classify a disparate group of languages spoken in remote regions of Siberia.
- Paleochora is an ancient town in Greece.
- In the anatomy of animals, the Paleoencephalon is the most ancient part of the brain.
- The Paleopallium is an ancient region within the telencephalon in animal brains.
"Paleo-" may simply be a back-formation to form a contrast with a neo- formulation:
