Discusses the most famous hoax in the history of science involving fossils including fragments of human or simian skulls and jaws and teeth found in gravel pits. Describes a laboratory experiment that exposes students to the problems of scientific misconduct. (CCM)

Discusses fossilization as a topic involving chemistry, geology, and biology. Describes the processes of silicification and pyritization. (MLH)

Background information and procedures are provided for experiments in which the zinc and strontium content in bones (fossils and/or fresh mammalian samples) is analyzed to determine relative amounts of animal and vegetable foods consumed by an individual during its lifetime. (JN)

Describes the use of infrared and atomic absorption spectrometry in an introductory chemical oceanography course to introduce students to carbonate mineralogy by having them determine both the crystal structure and the magnesium content of seashells that they have collected. (Author/JN)