Penny Higgins - Storyteller • Artist • Scientist
Combining Science and Joyful Creativity
#365papers for May 15, 2017
What’s it about?
Megalobulimus is a giant snail that lives in South America. Using the thickness of the outer lip of the shell (where the snail sticks out of its shell), it’s possible to estimate the age of the snail.Continue reading “Assigning an Age to a Giant Snail – #365papers – 2017 – 135”
#365papers for May 14, 2017
What’s it about?
This paper is a description of a new species of non-mammalian synapsid from Brazil. Non-mammalian synapsids are vertebrates that are on the lineage toward mammals (and far removed from other reptiles), but lack the specific characteristics of the ear and jaw that distinguish mammals from all other vertebrates. This particular new species is based on a left lower jaw with most of its teeth.Continue reading “A New Cynodont and the Evolutionary Path to Mammals – #365papers – 2017 – 134”
#365papers for May 13, 2017
What’s it about?
The Earth didn’t always have continents. This paper explores how the planet’s first continents probably formed. The major hypotheses were that the continents formed by volcanic eruptions primarily, or by upwellings of magma that never erupted on the surface. It seems that the latter is most likely.Continue reading “How Did the Earth’s Crust Grow – #365papers – 2017 – 133”
#365papers for May 12, 2017
What’s it about?
Keratin is a major protein making up hair and nails. The authors conduct experiments on modern keratin to emulate fossilization to test whether or not keratin is likely to fossilize. Based on these experiments, keratin should not survive the process of fossilization, though calcium phosphate and pigments might.Continue reading “Keratin Ain’t Gonna Make It – #365papers – 2017 – 132”
#365papers for May 11, 2017
What’s it about?
Here is a new species of armored dinosaur named after the demon Zuul the Gatekeeper of Gozer from the 1984 movie Ghostbusters. This fossil includes magnificent preservation of skin and dermal skeleton of the head and back and also of the tail club.Continue reading “There is No Ankylosaur. There is Only Zuul – #365papers – 2017 – 131”
#365papers for May 10, 2017
What’s it about?
Snails. It turns out that snails record evidence of their environment in their shells. The authors here show how shells from these two giant snails can be used to examine the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.Continue reading “Using Giant Snails to Understand Past Atmospheric Carbon – #365papers – 2017 – 130”
#365 papers for May 9, 2017
What’s it about?
H. naledi is a small member of the genus Homo recently discovered and described from the Rising Star Cave in Africa. Here, the fossils are dated and found to be much younger than expected showing that several species of the genus Homo were living at the same time.Continue reading “The Diversification of Homo and the importance of H. naledi – #363papers – 2017 – 129”
#365papers for May 8, 2017
What’s it about?
Ancient relatives of elephants have been studied from a quarry near Bethlehem since the 1930’s. The preservation is poor, however. This paper reports on new specimens described using new methods (including CT scans) to better understand the identity and relationships of the fossils found.Continue reading “Reconstructing Crumbly Elephants – #365papers – 2017 – 128”
#365papers for May 7, 2017
What’s it about?
This paper is a description of a new species of dinosaur, Jianianhualong tengi, from the famous Jehol Group of China. This new species shows a mixture of traits, some that are characteristic of non-flying dinosaurs and others characteristic of flying dinosaurs like Archaeopteryx. This includes asymmetrical feathers, stiff feathers that are thicker on one side of the central vein than on the other, which are a necessary adaptation for flight.Continue reading “A New Feathered Troodontid Dinosaur with Asymmetrical Feathers – #365papers – 2017 – 127”
#365papers for May 6, 2017
What’s it about?
Most of this paper is a description of a new species of dinosaur, Galeamopus pabsti. This individual is quite well preserved and allowd the authors to examine two important aspects of diplodocid growth and development: the fusion of certain parts of the vertebrae (‘neurocentral closure’) previously associated with adulthood, and the transition from neck vertebrate to back vertebrae (which bear ribs).Continue reading “How Necks Become Backs in Diplodocid Dinosaurs – #365papers – 2017 – 126”
Penny Higgins - Storyteller • Artist • Scientist