Paleontology graduates are often one of a kind at Peking University

Few students choose paleontology as a college major - so few that Peking University has been lucky to admit one per year. In two of the last seven years, there were no applicants at all.

But this year, the university found a promising student, Yu Yilun, a Beijing high school graduate who was admitted to study in the highly specialized field that combines biology and geology to learn the history of life on Earth through fossils.

The shortage of students attracted nationwide attention last summer when Xue Yifan, a paleontology graduate at Peking University, posted a photo online. While graduation photos are typically filled with tens or even hundreds of graduates, the one Xue posted - captioned "Paleontology Class 2014, Peking University" - showed only one. Xue stood alone in her academic gown.