| abstract | - At one time, "Precambrian rabbits" or "fossil rabbits in the Precambrian" rock samples became popular imagery in debates about the validity of the theory of evolution and the scientific field of evolutionary biology. The images are reported to have been among responses given by the biologist, J.B.S. Haldane, when he was asked what evidence could destroy his confidence in the theory and the field of study. Many of his statements about his scientific research were popularized in his lifetime. Some accounts use this response to rebut claims that the theory of evolution is not falsifiable by any empirical evidence. This followed an assertion by philosopher, Karl Popper, who had proposed that falsifiability is an essential feature of a scientific theory. Popper also expressed doubts about the scientific status of evolutionary theory, although he later concluded that the field of study was genuinely scientific. Rabbits are mammals. From the perspective of the philosophy of science, it is doubtful whether the genuine discovery of mammalian fossils in Precambrian rocks would overthrow the theory of evolution instantly, although, if authentic, such a discovery would indicate serious errors in modern understanding about the evolutionary process. Mammals are a class of animals, whose emergence in the geologic timescale is dated to much later than any found in Precambrian strata. Geological records indicate that although the first true mammals appeared in the Triassic period, modern mammalian orders appeared in the Palaeocene and Eocene epochs of the Palaeogene period. Many, many millions of years separate this period from the Precambrian. Not to be confused with a Precambrian rabbit, a zombie taxon is a fossil found in sediment or rock newer than the last appearance of the species in the fossil record. This is caused by erosion and natural rock formation, and is not a refutation of evolutionary theory.
- A Precambrian rabbit is a hypothetical fossil that anti-creationist-leaning scientists have given as an example of what could change their minds. It was originally stated by J.B.S. Haldane (1892–1964) but in certain circles, especially philosophy of science, has taken on a life of its own: a frenzy of speculation and other very typical academic activities.
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