Fossil Friday Roundup: June 16, 2017

Featured Image: Skull of specimen MCP-PV-1600-T (holotype of Probelesodon kitchingi) in lateral view. From Martinelli et al. (2017).

Papers (All Open Access):

• Dating early animal evolution using phylogenomic data (Scientific Reports)
• Tiny pollen grains: first evidence of Saururaceae from the Late Cretaceous of western North America (PeerJ)
• Time-calibrated molecular phylogeny of pteropods (PLOS ONE)
• Phylogeography on the rocks: The contribution of current and historical factors in shaping the genetic structure of Chthamalus montagui (Crustacea, Cirripedia) (PLOS ONE)
• A new pycnodont fish, Scalacurvichthys naishi gen. et sp. nov., from the Late Cretaceous of Israel (Journal of Systematic Palaeontology)
• Functional Innovations and the Conquest of the Oceans by Acanthomorph Fishes (Current Biology Review)
• Volume of the crocodilian brain and endocast during ontogeny (PLOS ONE)
• A Sauropod Tooth from the Santonian of Hungary and the European Late Cretaceous ‘Sauropod Hiatus’ (Scientific Reports)
• Evolution of dinosaur epidermal structures (Biology Letters)
• Taxonomic review of the late Cenozoic megapodes (Galliformes: Megapodiidae) of Australia (RSOS)
• Upper Jurassic sauropod record in the Lusitanian Basin (Portugal): Geographical and lithostratigraphical distribution (PalaeoE)
• New material of Alierasaurus ronchii (Synapsida, Caseidae) from the Permian of Sardinia (Italy), and its phylogenetic affinities (PalaeoE)
• The African cynodont Aleodon (Cynodontia, Probainognathia) in the Triassic of southern Brazil and its biostratigraphic significance (PLOS ONE)
• Phenotypic variation in dorsal fin morphology of coastal bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) off Mexico (PeerJ)
• A New Early Pliocene Record of the Toothless Walrus Valenictus (Carnivora, Odobenidae) from the Purisima Formation of Northern California (PaleoBios)
• Morphological modularity in the vertebral column of Felidae (Mammalia, Carnivora) (BMC Evolutionary Biology)
• The stable isotope composition of nitrogen and carbon and elemental contents in modern and fossil seabird guano from Northern Chile – Marine sources and diagenetic effects (PLOS ONE)

Proofs and Pre-Prints:

• Lokiarchaea are close relatives of Euryarchaeota, not bridging the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes (PLOS Genetics)

Community Events, Society Updates, and Resources:

• Diversity in Paleontology Workshop GoFundMe (Link)
• SVP 2017, August 23–26,  Calgary, Alberta (Link)
• SVPCA 2017, September 12–15, Birmingham, England (Link)

New and Views:

Animals and Anatomy:

• Palaeobotany – 150 things about Canadian palaeo, part 14 (Musings of a Clumsy Palaeontologist)
• Forelimb Posture in Chilesaurus diegosuarezi (Letters from Gondwana)
• Chiropractor on holiday discovers B.C.’s first dinosaur skull (Link)
• Dr. Donald Henderson finds first evidence of iguanodontids in Alberta (Inside the Royal Tyrrell Museum)
• Hoplitosaurus (Equatorial Minnesota)
• Paleo Profile: The Dalian Lizard (Laelaps)
• A Fluffy Double-Feature (Dr. Neurosaurus)
• The Sensitive Face of a Big Predatory Dinosaur (Tetrapod Zoology)
• Revenge of the scaly Tyrannosaurus (Mark Witton)
• Ancient otter tooth found in Mexico suggests mammals migrated across America (Link)
• Smilodon: Beast of the Week (Prehistoric Beast of the Week)
• Age of Mammals: The Miocene (Pt 1) (Synapsida)
• Fossil Friday – Bison humerus (Valley of the Mastodon)
• In Ancient Bones, an Elephant-Size Surprise (Laelaps)
• The Mysterious Fathoms Below (Pseudoplocephalus)
• New Fossil Fills In Missing Moment in Baleen Whale History (Laelaps)
• Lost ecosystem found buried in mud of southern California coastal waters (Link)

Museums, Methods, and Musings:

• Thoughts on Teaching Science: Know Thy Audience (PLOS ECR Community)
• Digital dinos: Paleontology goes virtual at USF (Link)
• Do fossil exhibits have too many dinosaurs? (Extinct Monsters)
• Got Open Access? (Green Tea and Velociraptors)
• The Dinosaurs Have Dawned (What’s in John’s Freezer)
• Gypsy Moths and Devonian Invasions (Extinct)
• A Primer for Scientists on Passionate, Scientific Outreach (Science as Leisure)
• Who owns the copyright in your research? (SV-POW)

Featured Folks and Fieldwork:

• The rise of the Necromancer: A profile of the Master of Death, Dean Lomax (Green Tea and Velociraptors)
• Fossils in trees: David Bapst (RS Publishing Blog)

Arts, Books, Culture, and Fun:

• Explore Mesozoic Ecosystems with Gabriel Ugueto (LITC)
• Chicago’s Field Museum Welcomes JURASSIC WORLD: the Exhibition! (Dave’s Dinosaurs)

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