Big Questions in Paleontology

The goal of the Big Questions project is to develop a community-based vision to guide research in paleontology in the years ahead. To accomplish this goal, paleontologists from around the world were invited to submit their Big Questions and to participate in the working groups that will further develop and refine those questions.

Presently, their are 12 working groups and approximately 175 paleontologists participating in the project. The paleontologists come from several dozen countries and include the full range of career level, from students to emeriti.

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Here you can find a history of communications and announcements related to the Big Questions project. If you missed an email, this is the place to find it.

The Big Questions project has twelve working groups, covering the breadth of topic area in paleontology. Click on the group below to see more information about each.

Here you can find communications in multiple languages, papers relevant to the Big Questions project (e.g., similar initiatives in the past), and other resources.

The Big Questions project includes more than 175 paleontologists, representing dozens of countries and cultures. The purpose of this code of conduct is to establish a standardized set of guidelines for how we interact with each other to generate and maintain an environment where every participant feels welcome and capable of contributing to the success of the project.

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If at any point you have a question or comment, you can use this form to reach out to us. This form can also be used to report inappropriate behavior during working group meetings (the form directs to Jansen Smith).