Updated

Researchers Thomas A. Neubauer and Mathias Harzhauser mapped where shallow marine fossils from the past 540 million years are missing, pointing to the Cenozoic as a promising target. Neubauer, of the Bavarian State Collections of Natural History (SNSB), and Harzhauser, of the Natural History Museum in Vienna, analyzed where fossils from animals that lived in shallow marine environments have been found. They drew on the Paleobiology Database, a freely accessible repository of fossil records, and compared it with geological data from the Macrostat database to find where suitable rock formations could fill gaps. For the first time, they also mapped regions where fossil information is missing. The researchers said the Early Mesozoic (about 252 to 66 million years ago) and the Palaeozoic (about 539 to 252 million years ago) have already been studied extensively, so further finds there are unlikely to add much knowledge soon. The greatest opportunities lie in the Cenozoic Era, which began 66 million years ago, whose shallow marine deposits still hold significant untapped potential. The team identified locations where previously unknown species are especially likely to be found and where the rock layers are exposed or accessible. The researchers said the guide could help paleontologists plan expeditions and study museum collections, setting priorities for limited research resources.