The foundation of paleontology as a science dates back to the work of Georges Cuvier in 1796.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent sources (Britannica, New World Encyclopedia, macroevolution.net, and a dedicated academic paper) confirm Cuvier's 1796 paper on living vs. fossil elephants as a founding moment of paleontology, with only minor date discrepancies (January vs. April). [cascade flags: aggregator_dropped_primary_exists | tier=unverified indep_score=0.3 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable] [rescored 2026-09-15: curated origin-host map (PR #65); unclassified hosts no longer scored as aggregators]
Sources
- Paleontology (wikipedia)
- https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Georges_Cuvier (corroboration)
- http://www.macroevolution.net/cuvier.html (corroboration)
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309321774_Georges_Cuvier_and_establishment_of_the_paleontology_as_a_science (corroboration)