Preface
Fossils are direct evidence of evolution. Palaeontologists explore the fossil world in order to decode the history of biological evolution on the Earth, to understand the interaction of the biosphere and the physical environment in deep time, and to search for the roots of modern biosphere and indicators of the impact of human beings as a species to the ecosystem surrounding our society. In this atlas, we will show you beautiful assorted fossil specimens, which can silently tell the stories that happened on the Earth millions or even billions of years ago, all archived in Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NIGPAS), mostly collected by NIGPAS scientists from different regions of China and elsewhere.
NIGPAS is widely known as one of the three major palaeontological research institutions in the world. The Institute was founded in 1951 with its roots extending to the former palaeontological laboratories in the National Research Institute of Geology (Academia Sinica) and the National Geological Survey of China before 1949.
NIGPAS excels in studies of invertebrate animal fossils, fossil plants and pollen-spores, microfossils (very small and better observed under microscopes), biostratigraphy (studying rock sequences using fossil occurrences and associated data), chronostratigraphy (time division and correlation of rocks using various criteria such as biozones, radiometric dates, geochemical signatures, etc.). NIGPAS houses modern research facilities including laboratories of palaeobiology, organic and inorganic geochemistry, sedimentology and data analysis, a library and information center, a type fossil repository, and a field station. We also have several public outreach platforms, including the Nanjing Museum of Palaeontology, a popular magazine Evolution of Life(《生物进化》)and a social cyberspace“Fossil Web”（化石网）with over 135,000 members.
NIGPAS has treasured generations of active palaeontological researchers who have devoted their life time in searching for fossils in all China to as far as the Antarctica and in working hard in laboratories with tremendous efforts to try to decode the meanings of the fossils — biological relicts from the earth history before the human being came along. Fourteen of the faculty members have been elected as academicians (or Members of the Earth Science Division) in Chinese Academy of Sciences, all being leading experts in relevant research areas worldwide, among many other well-known palaeontologists and stratigraphers, who contributed to the advancement of palaeontological discipline in China and to the world.
2005年，南京古生物博物馆建成并向社会正式开放。博物馆展览以精美的古生物化石和科研成果为主体，包括“澄江生物群”、“热河生物群”等特异埋藏化石群中的珍贵标本，如奇虾、微网虫、中华龙鸟、雌雄孔子鸟、辽宁古果等化石标本，堪称国宝级化石精品。
岁月荏苒，菁华凝练。本图集向大家展示的，既有南京古生物所收藏的精品化石，也有南京古生物所科学家在探索生命演化历史的历程中的成果实例。每件化石的背后都有着精彩的故事；它们不仅再现了几十亿年来地球生命的恢弘演化史，还记录了中国古生物学充满艰辛曲折却又辉煌灿烂的百年发展史。
感谢科技部、国家自然科学基金委、国土资源部、中国科协、中国科学院、江苏省和南京市人民政府以及社会各界对南京古生物所的关心和支持！感谢国内外各兄弟单位和个人的支持与合作。
本图集编撰工作得到南京古生物所各位专家学者和各部门的大力支持；中科院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所邓涛研究员、汪筱林研究员在脊椎动物化石方面给予指导；部分历史素材源于《中国古生物学学科史》（中国科学技术出版社，2015）和南京古生物所未发表资料。由于编写人员的水平及编写时间所限，不足之处敬请批评指正。
杨群 博士
中国科学院南京地质古生物研究所 所长
中国古生物学会 理事长
2017年7月
This atlas displays a good sample of beautiful fossil collections in NIGPAS, including most precious specimens collected by pioneering palaeontologists in early 1900s and exquisitely preserved fossil specimens from the famous “Chengjiang Biota” and “Jehol Biota”, as well as other important fossil sites of various geological ages and geographic regions. This atlas is intended not only to show snap shots of the evolving biosphere on the Earth through millions and billions of years' natural history, but also to show some footprints of NIGPAS scientists in their over 60 years' scientific endeavors (plus pre-NIGPAS pioneers' efforts). Their research achievements have widely received international and national recognition, many published in major academic journals such as Science, Nature and PNAS and granted the top awards for basic research in China.
Major funding of our research has come from Ministry of Science and Technology, National Natural Science Foundation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China Association of Science and Technology, Ministry of Land and Resources (and the former Ministry of Geology and Mineral Resources), and the local governments of Jiangsu Province and Nanjing City. The collaborations with numerous researchers and field explorers throughout China and from other countries have been vital and necessary for all the achievements at NIGPAS.
The compiling team of this atlas would like to thank the support and contributions, by consultation, assistance in photography or material supply, from their colleagues of departments and offices at NIGPAS and from Prof. Dr. Deng Tao and Prof. Dr. Wang Xiaolin of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (CAS) in Beijng. Some of the historical accounts are based on the book Chinese History of Palaeontology(Press of Science and Technology of China, 2015) and unpublished documents from NIGPAS.
Prof. Dr. Yang Qun
Director of NIGPAS
President, Palaeontological Society of China
July, 2017