Since Paleolithic times, humans have tried to read biological behavior through animal and plant traces. Over the centuries, this art of survival has evolved into a discipline halfway between Earth Sciences and Life Sciences: Ichnology. This seminar discusses the fundamentals of the study of traces, presenting robust techniques to decipher the ichnological alphabet – from worm burrows to dinosaur footprints. Special attention will be paid to the application of quantitative techniques such as fractal geometry, network theory and artificial life. Fossil and modern environments will be explored, underlining the (paleo)biological significance of 600 millions of years of bioturbation in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. In fact, burrows, footprints, borings, coprolites are fossil behavior and, as such, they are a valuable tool in sedimentary geology, evolutionary biology and paleontology.