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Scientists need a long-term view of past environmental conditions to provide context for future global change. They use paleo proxies--chemical and physical features preserved in the fossil record that contain evidence of ancient environments-- to learn about the distant past. Among the most common proxies used to study prehistoric climate and ocean conditions are forams. Forams are a kind of plankton that have existed for millions of years. Their shells record the chemistry of the ocean as they grow. [Source: LiveScience]
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