PALAIOS is a monthly journal, founded in 1986, dedicated to emphasizing the impact of life on Earth's history as recorded in the paleontological and sedimentological records. PALAIOS disseminates information to an international spectrum of geologists and biologists interested in a broad range of topics, including, but not limited to, biogeochemistry, ichnology, paleoclimatology, paleoecology, paleoceanography, sedimentology, stratigraphy, geomicrobiology, paleobiogeochemistry, and astrobiology.

PALAIOS publishes original papers that emphasize using paleontology to answer important geological and biological questions that further our understanding of Earth history. Accordingly, manuscripts whose subject matter and conclusions have broader geologic implications are much more likely to be selected for publication. Given that the purpose of PALAIOS is to generate enthusiasm for paleontology among a broad spectrum of readers, the editors request the following: titles that generate immediate interest; abstracts that emphasize important conclusions; illustrations of professional caliber used in place of words; and lively, yet scholarly, text.