Andrew MacRae can't remember a time when he wasn't interested in fossils. Even as a child, he was a very good observer and could see the hidden patterns of fossils in rocks. He has been able to use these skills while studying the cliffs at Arisaig, Nova Scotia. "It's like looking for shells on a beach," he says, "except the shells are in rock instead, and can be a bit more subtle."

The possibility of discovering something genuinely new and scientifically important has never lost its excitement for this fossil finder. These days, Andrew uses palynology (the study of organic, walled microfossils such as pollen and algae) to discover answers and solve tricky geological problems in the Canadian Arctic.