The foundation of paleontology as a science dates back to the work of Georges Cuvier in 1796.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent, reputable sources (Wikipedia, Britannica, Encyclopedia.com, Wikisource, Biodiversity Heritage Library) corroborate Cuvier's 1796 work as foundational to paleontology, with minor nuance about shared credit with contemporaries like Lamarck and Smith.
Sources
- Paleontology (en.wikipedia.org)
- http://www.macroevolution.net/cuvier.html (macroevolution.net)
- https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309321774_Georges_Cuvier_and_establishment_of_the_paleontology_as_a_science (researchgate.net)
- https://blog.biodiversitylibrary.org/2015/10/proving-extinction-cuvier-and-the-elephantimorpha (blog.biodiversitylibrary.org)
- https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/science-and-technology/geology-and-oceanography-biographies/georges-cuvier (encyclopedia.com)
- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Georges-Cuvier (britannica.com)