21 mar 1666 ano - Nicolas Steno Catches a Shark

Descrição:

Upon dissection he was intrigued with how it’s teeth strongly resembled the rocks known from ancient times as “stone tongues.” Stone tongues were made of rock, and where found above sea level, which posed a confusing question of how they got their, and how they became encased in rock. Making a bold declaration, Steno exclaimed that the rocks came from the shark’s teeth. To back up his argument he developed a theory explaining how the molecules were gradually replaced from tooth material to minerals of rock over a long period of time. Because the molecules were being replaced slowly, they did not lose their originally formation of a sharp pointed triangle. To explain how the fossils became trapped inside the rock, he theorized that all rock was once a fluid that circled around the earth before it settled into a solid form. During this process Steno believed that animal remains would become trapped in the liquid rock.