palaeontology

https://doi.org/10.1351/goldbook.14898
Branch of science that deals with extinct and fossil humans, animals, and plants, or more generally with evidence of organic life during the geological past.
Source:
PAC, 2009, 81, 829. (Glossary of terms used in ecotoxicology (IUPAC Recommendations 2009)) on page 923 [Terms] [Paper]