Skip to main content

Back to the Future for Paleobiology

Back to the Future for Paleobiology

Howard Falcon Lang

I work at the interface of sedimentology and paleobiology. My research mostly deals with the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems over the past 500 million years. Some recent work has investigated (1) the invasion of land by animals, (2) the rise and fall of the first rainforests, and (3) forest biogeography in the age of the dinosaurs. I’m interested in how past experiments in deep time can inform our understanding of the future evolution of climate and biosphere. Much of my work is done in the field, in the nunataks of Antarctica, the coal mines of the USA, or even in the rainforest of Panama, but I also draw on lab-based and microscopic techniques to elucidate palaeoclimates and ancient ecosystems.

HFL-res1 HFL-res2
A Carboniferous lycopsid tree at Joggins, Nova Scotia, Canada Fossil footprints of the earliest reptiles at Grand Anse, New Brunswick, Canada
HFL-res3 HFL-res4
Oribatid mite microcoprolites in a Carboniferous tree-fern axis from Bristol, England A Carboniferous permineralised twig from Bute, Scotland

Explore Royal Holloway

Arrivals Sept 2017 77 1.jpg

Get help paying for your studies at Royal Holloway through a range of scholarships and bursaries.

clubs-societies_REDUCED.jpg

There are lots of exciting ways to get involved at Royal Holloway. Discover new interests and enjoy existing ones.

Accommodation home hero

Heading to university is exciting. Finding the right place to live will get you off to a good start.

September 2018 Open Day Ewd
Get a taste of our campus and the courses we offer, from virtual tours and webinars to in person Open Days.
Founders, clock tower, sky, ornate

Discover more about our academic departments and schools.

REF_2021.png

Find out why Royal Holloway is in the top 25% of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Immersive Technology

Royal Holloway is a research intensive university and our academics collaborate across disciplines to achieve excellence.

DOB6476 (1)
We believe our students are entitled to a world-class learning experience that helps them to thrive and respects diversity.
First years Emily Wilding Davison Building front view

Discover more about who we are today, and our vision for the future.

RHC PH.100.1.3 Founders south east 1886.w

Royal Holloway began as two pioneering colleges for the education of women in the 19th century, and their spirit lives on today.

Notable alumni Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

We’ve played a role in thousands of careers, some of them particularly remarkable.

Contact us
Information on how to get into contact with us at Royal Holloway.