More from this author. 1  Largest World Cities: 2014. 2  World Urban Areas Population and Density: A 2012 Update. 3  Largest Cities in the World: 2016. 4  Largest 1,000 Cities on Earth: World Urban Areas: 2015 Edition. 5  The Costs of Smart Growth Revisited: A 40 Year Perspective.
Definition of fossil. 1  1 : a remnant, impression, or trace of an organism of past geologic ages that has been preserved in the earth's crust â compare living fossil. 2  2a : a person whose views are outmoded : fogyb : something (such as a theory) that has become rigidly fixed.
What are we talking about? Fossils, of course! Fossils are the actual remains or impressions left by plants or animals that were once alive hundreds or thousands of years ago. Over time, the organic (living) material left behind is replaced with minerals, leaving a fossil that is like stone but looks like the original plant or animal.