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Fossil Friday Roundup: May 19, 2017

Featured Image:  The ammonite Subplanites rueppellianus, from Lomax et al (2017)

Papers (All Open Access):

  • Carbonaceous and siliceous Neoproterozoic vase-shaped microfossils (Urucum Formation, Brazil) and the question of early protistan biomineralization (Journal of Paleontology)
  • Lygistorrhinidae (Diptera: Bibionomorpha: Sciaroidea) in early Eocene Cambay amber (PeerJ)
  • An 8.5 m long ammonite drag mark from the Upper Jurassic Solnhofen Lithographic Limestones, Germany (PLOS ONE)
  • Development of cyclic shedding teeth from semi-shedding teeth: the inner dental arcade of the stem osteichthyan Lophosteus (RSOS)
  • First early Eocene lizards from Spain and a study of the compositional changes between late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic Iberian lizard assemblages (PalaeoE)
  • Second discovery of a spinosaurid tooth from the Sebayashi Formation (Lower Cretaceous), Kanna Town, Gunma Prefecture, Japan (Bulletin GMNH)
  • The Biomechanics Behind Extreme Osteophagy in Tyrannosaurus rex (Scientific Reports)
  • Long-term association between the commensal Florida Mouse (Podomys floridanus) and the Gopher Tortoise (Gopherus polyphemus) in the fossil record of Florida (Bulletin Florida Museum of Natural History)
  • Morphology of an Early Oligocene beaver Propalaeocastor irtyshensis and the status of the genus Propalaeocastor (PeerJ)
  • Reappraisal of the extinct seal “Phocavitulinoides from the Neogene of the North Sea Basin, with bearing on its geological age, phylogenetic affinities, and locomotion (PeerJ)
  • Combining phylogenetic and demographic inferences to assess the origin of the genetic diversity in an isolated wolf population (PLOS ONE)
  • A diffusion based study of population dynamics: Prehistoric migrations into South Asia (PLOS ONE)
  • The ecology of de-extinction (Functional Ecology)

Community Events, Society Updates, and Resources:

  • Diversity in Paleontology Workshop GoFundMe (Link)
  • PLOS Early Career Travel Award Program, Due May 31 (Link)
  • Support the Excavation of the KU T.rex in Montana (Link)

New and Views:

Animals and Anatomy:

  • This Amazing Fossil Rode To Los Angeles In A Beer Truck (Forbes)
  • The Triassic’s Mystery Creature (Laelaps)
  • Oldest known crocodiloid eggs discovered in Portugal (PLOS Paleo)
  • Warm-bloodedness possibly much older than previously thought (Link)
  • Fossil ‘Winged Serpent’ Is a New Species of Ancient Snake, Penn Doctoral Student Finds (Link)
  • Not a lizard nor a dinosaur, tuatara is the sole survivor of a once-widespread reptile group (Link)
  • Kneel Before Zuul (Dr. Neurosaurus)
  • Mining for Ankylosaurs (Dr. Neurosaurus)
  • The Amazing Dinosaur Found (Accidentally) by Miners in Canada (National Geographic)
  • Let sleeping dragons lie (PLOS Paleo)
  • Canada’s Unexpected Ostrich Mimic (Laelaps)
  • The return of “Dinosaur skeletal anatomy” (Equatorial Minnesota)
  • Dinosaur dimorphism, cryptic absence (Archosaur Musings)
  • Whales, dolphins, and seals all follow the same evolutionary patterns (PLOS Paleo)
  • Pinnipeds: Freshwater Seals (Synapsida)
  • Speaker Series 2017: Discovery, Geological Context and Challenges of Dating a New Hominin, Homo naledi, from the Rising Star Cave, South Africa (Inside the Royal Tyrrell Museum)

Museums, Methods, and Musings:

Featured Folks and Fieldwork:

Arts, Books, Culture, and Fun:


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