Paleontology

Dinosaur skeletal remains are almost unknown from northern
South America. One of the few exceptions comes from a small
outcrop in the northernmost extension of the Andes, along the
western border of Venezuela, where strata of the La Quinta
Formation have yielded the ornithischian Laquintasaura venezuelae
and other dinosaur remains. Here, we report isolated bones
(ischium and tibia) of a small new theropod, Tachiraptor admirabilis
gen. et sp. nov., which differs from all previously known
members of the group by an unique suite of features of its
tibial articulations. Comparative/phylogenetic studies place the
new form as the sister taxon to Averostra, a theropod group
that is known primarily from the Middle Jurassic onwards.
A new U–Pb zircon date (isotope dilution thermal-ionization
mass spectrometry; ID-TIMS method) from the bone bed matrix
suggests an earliest Jurassic maximum age for the La Quinta
Formation. A dispersal–vicariance analysis suggests that such a
stratigraphic gap is more likely to be filled by new records from
north and central Pangaea than from southern areas. Indeed, our
data show that the sampled summer-wet equatorial belt, which
yielded the new taxon, played a pivotal role in theropod evolution
across the Triassic–Jurassic boundary.

An integrated study involving sedimentology, mineral chemistry and spectroscopy highlights a distinctive compositional evolution of Cretaceous glauconite within the Ukra Hill Member. Glauconite occurs at the top part of transgressive systems tract deposits built on a marine shelf. The concentration of glau-conite steadily increases towards the maximum flooding surface, maximizing around 50%, and sharply falls at the onset of progradation. Unlike most Phanerozoic examples, Ukra glauconite forms by the variable degree of replacement of quartz, feldspar and mica grains. XRD, FEG-SEM and spectroscopy of glauconite pellets indicate an 'evolved' stage of maturation. Mossbauer spectroscopy reflects a minor substitution of Al 3þ-Fe 3þ (total) in tetrahedral sites and significant substitution of the same in octahedral sites. A consistently high value of K 2 O as well as Fe 2 O 3 contradicts the two popular theories, 'layer lattice' and 'verdissement', and support replacement origin of glauconite in a high a Siþ and high a Kþ pore water environment. Incipiently formed glauconite records a marginal increase in K 2 O content accompanied by release of Al 2 O 3 and SiO 2 to form evolved glauconite pellets; those forming within quartz grains involve an addition of Fe 2 O 3 (total) content during maturation. The minimal increase in K 2 O content of incipiently formed glauconite, best exhibited by those formed within quartz grains is possibly related to stratigraphic condensation. Compositional evolution like this is exhibited by Precambrian glauconites involving abiotic substrates, but is unusual for the Phanerozoic. Original K 2 O and Fe 2 O 3 (total) content of glauconites is reduced around peripheries and fractures during diagenesis, adding to compositional variability.

Essay detailing some of Titian's most famous works, looking at self-expression through painting,  memento mori, emotion, as well as topics of mortality and death. The focus of this paper is to shed light on aspects of symbolism found in some of the artist's later pieces in order to determine why his style changed so drastically over time.

Observation: Please note this is a major update with 11,468 entries (and corrections) from previous lists published online between July 2017 and January 2018.

This list include papers, conference papers, chapters, books, theses and dissertations - It does not include abstracts (but extended abstracts).

Please do not change the list or include any reference. Any inclusion (I'm sure there will be many) or correction, please forward me directly to the email
<peluna@usp.br>

I also ask that, whenever you quote this list, please give the credit as follows:
De Luna P. 2018. South America Vertebrate Paleontology Reference List (1774-2018) (1774-2018) - version 20180325
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.23993.06248
at
http://www.mediafire.com/file/1r8ki2kg0atkstx/VPSA_20180818_PDF_final.pdf

enjoy and share!

Pedro De Luna, Ph.D. (aka Peter Moon)
Post-doc fellow at the Biosciences Institute, Universidade de São Paulo São Paulo-SP Brazil

The Lake George Basin is a small, closed basin about 50km NE from Canberra, Australia’s capital city.
The basin is a very distinct landscape unit, and for many generations it has been a natural meeting place for several Aboriginal groups. There is evidence of at least 6000 years old human artefacts on the shores of the lake, and a currently ongoing PhD project is adding detail to our understanding of the human occupation of this area. There are also known mega-fauna fossil finds, including of the extinct kangaroo genus Procoptodon from deposits originally dated to between 21,000 and 26,000 years BP, but now considered to be older.
The site for Canberra was chosen in 1908, resolving a long running debate about where the National Capital should be located. The main rivals were Sydney and Melbourne, and the diplomatic compromise was to establish a new capital midway between the two. Lake George had been a substantial body of water until 1900, and the Lake George Basin had been considered as a possible site for the new capital. Luckily, another nearby site was chosen because lake levels fell during several years of drought and the lake was dry from 1901 to 1915 and on several occasions since.
Currently the lake is dry again, giving access for a large interdisciplinary team to study the landscape, its tectonic, sedimentary and hydrogeological evolution, as well as the paleontological and archaeological history of the area.
The Lake George Fault, elevated 200 metres above the western shores, is a 75 km long major north-south tectonic feature. The lake bed is filled with up to 165 metres of sediments, providing the longest known continuous Quaternary and Pliocene sedimentary record of any lake in Australia, encompassing approximately 4 million years.
Today the land around the lake is privately owned, while the lake bed is Crown Land. The landscape elements are defining features in current land use, planning and development. Our research aims to create new knowledge that will advance the protection and sharing of the landscape without hampering its development.
Our project is “work in progress”, with funding for another two years. Funding is provided from the Australian Research Council (LP140100911). We acknowledge the First People of Australia as the traditional owners of the land on which we live and work.

This map folio should be referenced as:
Scotese, C.R., 2013. Map Folio 70 Early Devonian (Emsian, 402.3 Ma), PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS, volume 4, Late Paleozoic Paleogeographic, Paleoclimatic and Plate Tectonic Reconstructions, PALEOMAP Project, Evanston, IL.

Introduction
These maps (rectilinear projection) are from the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS (Scotese, 2013a-f).  This is a digital atlas of plate tectonic, paleogeographic, and paleoclimatic reconstructions designed for use with the GIS software, ArcMap (ESRI).  Table 1 lists the various types of maps that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The maps included in this folio are highlighted in bold text (Table 1).
The last map in each folio is a rectilinear graticule that can be overlain on the maps to provide a geographic reference frame.  A rectilinear projection was used because it can be easily georeferenced in ArcMap and transformed into a variety of other map projections.  The rectilinear map projection can also be directly “wrapped” onto a spherical projection, like the oneused by Google Earth. A set of Google Earth paleoglobes has made from the maps in this folio. These Google Earth paleoglobes can be downloaded at: www.globalgeology.com. 
If the map you need is missing, or if there doesn’t seem to be a map folio for the exact time interval of interest, please contact me (cscotese@gmail.com). Table 2 lists all the time intervals that comprise the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas for ArcGIS. The PaleoAtlas contains one map for every stage in the Phanerozoic, as well as 6 maps for the late Precambrian.  Eventually, Map Folios, like this one, will be published for every time interval in the PALEOMAP PaleoAtlas.  The following section is a brief description of the maps that makeup the Map Folio.

The Early Stone Age archaeological record does not become persistent and widespread until approximately 2.0-1.7 million years ago, when Oldowan sites spread across Africa and ultimately into Eurasia. However, good records of hominin behavior from this important time interval are uncommon. Here we describe recent findings from the two million year old Oldowan site of Kanjera South, on the Homa Peninsula of southwestern Kenya. Kanjera South is the oldest Oldowan site with large assemblages of stone artifacts and well-preserved archaeological fauna. Our research indicates that hominin activities were situated in an open habitat within a grassland dominated ecosystem, the first documentation of an archaeological site in such an open setting. Hominins selectively collected and transported stone materials (30% of the lithic assemblage) over longer distances (at least 10 km) than is typical for the Oldowan, reflecting their preference for hard, easily-flaked lithologies unavailable on the ...

Prabhat Rainjan Sarkar (1922-1990), a spiritual guru (also known as Shrii Shrii Anandamurti) and social philosopher, describes remarkable previously unknown facts about the evolution of the earth and human civilization, and the birthplace of the first human beings in Ráŕh, an ancient area of India. This spoken discourse “Geology and Human Civilization” was given in Anandanagar, India on 28 December 1987.  –  Richard Gauthier, Department of Chemistry and Physics, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, California, USA, September 13, 2020.

ÖZET: Mimari bir eleman olarak camın; geçmişten günümüze kullanımında büyük ilerlemeler olmuştur. Gelişen inşaat sektörü ile birlikte cam; hem yapı malzemeleri alanında hem yapım sistemleri alanında büyük ilerleme kaydetmiştir. Günümüzde yüksek teknoloji ile birlikte camın niteliği sorgulanmış, farklı yapı çözümlerinde kullanımı ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu bağlamda mimari anlamda cam seçiminde çok fazla kriter oluşmuş, kullanıcı profiline uygun konfor şartlarını yerine getirmesi beklenen cam seçimi önemli olmuştur. Proje tasarım sürecinde mimarlar, tasarım kararlarını verirken camdan beklenen performans kriterlerini tam anlamıyla bilmeli; bu bağlamda çözümler üretebilmelidir. Bu çalışmada; camın yapı malzemesi olarak kullanımından beklenen performans kriterleri ortaya konmuş, güncel çözüm önerileri aktarılmıştır. Literatür araştırması yapılarak camın statik dayanım niteliği, yapım, montaj ve tadilat niteliği, ısı kontrolü niteliği, su geçirimsizliği ve nem kontrolü niteliği, akustik konfor niteliği, yangın güvenliği niteliği, genleşme ve yatay yük etkileri niteliği, ışık, yansıma ve renk niteliği, temizlik ve bakım niteliği incelenmiştir. Camın performans kriterleri sonucunda mimari proje kapsamında uygun cam seçiminin gerçekleşmesinde beklenen nitelikler saptanmıştır. Tasarım ve uygulama projelerinde cam kullanımı ve kullanılacak camın seçimi hakkında belirli parametrelerde öneriler geliştirilmiştir. Mimari camın kullanılmasında, performans kriterlerinin saptanmaması, tam olarak bilinmemesi birtakım fiziksel konfor koşullarını bozacak olup, mimari proje tasarımcılarına büyük görevler düşmektedir. Bu durumda proje tasarım aşamasında uygun cam seçimi önemsenmeli ve uygulamada mimarın önerileri doğrultusunda cam seçimi yapılmalıdır. ABSTRACT: The glass as an architectural element from the past to the present there have been major advances in the use of. Together with the developing construction industry, glass, has made great progress both building materials and construction systems in the field. Today's high-tech investigated the quality of the glass, the use of different structural solutions has emerged. In this context, the selection of the criteria too much in formed architectural glass, glass selection in accordance with the user profile has been expected to fulfill the important requirements of comfort. Architects in the design process of project, design while deciding on the performance criteria expected from the glass fully they should know; they should be able to produce solutions in this context. In this study, the performance criteria relating to the use of glass as a building material is expected from are presented, current solution are transferred to. A literature search is performed and the quality of the static resistance of the glass, the quality of construction, installation and modification, the quality of temperature control, the quality of water-tightness and moisture control, the quality of acoustic comfort, the quality of fire safety, the quality of expansion and horizontal load effects, the quality of light, reflection and color, the quality of cleanliness and maintenance are investigated. Glass appropriate glass performance criteria within the scope of the architectural project as a result of the election in the realization of the expected qualities identified. The use of glass in design and implementation of projects and recommendations developed in the glass about the selection of specific parameters to be used. The use of architectural glass in a failure to identify the performance criteria that is not fully understood it is an important mission for some physical comfort conditions and architectural designers to disrupt. In this case, during the design phase the project should pay attention to proper glass selection, and in practice the architect in accordance with the recommendations in the selection of glass should be used.

In recent years the plethora of ‘weird wonders,’ the vernacular for the apparently extinct major body plans documented in many of the Cambrian Lagerstätten, has been dramatically trimmed. This is because various taxa have been either assigned to known phyla or accommodated in larger monophyletic assemblages. Nevertheless, a number of Cambrian taxa retain their enigmatic status. To this intriguing roster we add Dakorhachis thambus n. gen. n. sp. from the Miaolingian (Guzhangian) Weeks Formation Konservat-Lagerstätte of Utah. Specimens consist of an elongate body that lacks appendages but is apparently segmented. A prominent feeding apparatus consists of a circlet of triangular teeth, while posteriorly there are three distinct skeletal components. D. thambus is interpreted as an ambush predator and may have been partially infaunal. The wider affinities of this new taxon remain conjectural, but it is suggested that it may represent a stem-group member of the Gnathifera, today represent...

Although fossils of Trionychidae are found as far back as the Early Cretaceous, their evolutionary history, including the origin of the crown clade, is poorly understood. Here, we use a microCT scan of the skull of ‘Trionyx’ kyrgyzensis from the late Early Cretaceous (Albian) of Kyrgyzstan as the basis for a thorough redescription of the cranial morphology of this species. New information includes the pattern of cranial circulation, which is comparable to all extant trionychids. A unique combination of cranial and postcranial characters of ‘Trionyx’ kyrgyzensis allows us to establish for it a new genus Petrochelys gen. nov. The data regarding Petrochelys kyrgyzensis are incorporated into a phylogenetic analysis. When Petrochelys kyrgyzensis is analysed without including additional, extinct taxa, it is placed in a highly derived position within the extant Nilssonia. However, the addition of five Cretaceous–Palaeogene taxa breaks up hypothesized long branches and results in more basal positions for Petrochelys kyrgyzensis within recovered trees. All results support the hypothesis that Petrochelys kyrgyzensis is a crown trionychid and a member of Trionychinae. Our findings highlight the importance of including multiple extinct taxa in phylogenetic analyses prior to using any of those taxa as calibration points in divergence dating estimates. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:592B98BF-87DF-48A8-8AA2-543AAD21FC95

The present research is a study on the Assilina assemblages which are recorded from the lower part of the Jarum Formation in the Buldaji section, exposed in the Zagros region, southwest Iran. Studies on the systematic analysis and biostratigraphy of these assemblages resulted in diagnosis of three Assilina taxa: A. ex. interc. cuvillieri Schaub, 1981-tenuimarginata Heim, 1908, A. aspera Doncieux, 1948, and A. aff. aspera (Doncieux, 1948), associated with calcareous nannofossil assemblage. Biostratigraphically, we present new data assignable the SBZ13 and NP15/ CNE9-10 zones from the lower part of the Jahrum Formation (Zagros region) pertaining to the central Tethys. This integrated study indicates a precise correlation between Assilina and calcareous nannofossils zonations of the studied interval at a local stratigraphical scale, enabling us to make possible projections for future stratigraphic studies in the vicinity of Tethyan regions.

Dracorex was a dinosaur of the family Pachycephalosauridae, that lived during the Late Cretaceous of North America. The type (and only) species is Dracorex hogwartsia, meaning "dragon king of Hogwarts".
It is known from one nearly complete skull (the holotype TCMI 2004.17.1), as well as four cervical vertebrae including the atlas, third, ninth and eighth. These were discovered in the Hell Creek Formation in South Dakota by three amateur paleontologists from Sioux City, Iowa. The skull was subsequently donated to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis for study in 2004, and was formally described by Bob Bakker and Robert Sullivan in 2006.

Dracorex, a herbivore, had a skull with spiky horns, bumps, and a long muzzle. The species also sports well-developed supratemporal fenestrae and a heavily-armored flat skull – lacking the characteristic pachycephalosaurid dome. Coupled with these two features is the excessive number of osteoderms in the form of irregular osteodermal crust: a number of nodes, larger hornlets, and spikes. Disregarding this, Dracorex is physically comparable to Stygimoloch. In the Pachycephalosauridae family, the Asian taxa includes a number of (somewhat) flat-headed pachycephalosaurs (Homalocephale calat'hocercos, Goyocephale lattimorei, and Wannanosaurus yansiensis). However, prior to the discovery of Dracorex, the only semi-flat-headed pachycephalosaur from North America was Stegoceras validum (inclusive of Ornatotholus' browni). Even then, the semi-flat-headed trait was only present in juveniles of the species.

Aside from having a flat, nodal skull, the most prominent feature of Dracorex is the pair of huge and unrestricted superior temporal openings. The supratemporal fenestrae are much larger front-to-back and side-to-side than in Homalocephale, and larger than in Goyocephale. Only a fragmentary Wannanosaurus skull shows fenestrae as large as those of Dracorex. This fenestral architecture has been seen in ancient archosaurs, but not in other pachycephalosaurs.

Consequently, if unreduced superior fenestrae are morphologically primitive, then Dracorex is more primitive in the temporal region than any other known pachycephalosaur. However, Sullivan (2003, 2006) demonstrated that the oldest known pachycephalosaurs were, in fact, fully-domed, and that the flat-headed morphology appeared later in the fossil record. This suggests that doming may be primitive for pachycephalosaurs and that a reversion to the non-domed, flat-headed state is a secondary (derived) character reversion, coupled with the re-opening of the supratemporal fenestrae. Indeed, while Stegoceras has been considered to be transitional between domed and flat-headed taxa, it may indicate the beginning of a character reversion to suppression of doming and opening of the supratemporal fenestrae in some taxa.

The excavated specimen was most likely a young adult. However, based on ossification of the mid-cervical arch with the centrum, it was near maturity. The animal was approximately 10 feet (3 m) long.

However, at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Jack Horner of Montana State University presented evidence, from analysis of the skull of holotype specimen TCMI 2004.17.1, that Dracorex may well be a juvenile form of Pachycephalosaurus.

Classification
In the original description, Bob Bakker included Dracorex in the family Pachycephalosauridae within the subfamily Pachycephalosaurinae. In the latter in the Pachycephalosaurini tribe together with Pachycephalosaurus forming a clearing next to Stygimoloch . To carry out the analysis of the relationships between the genders, he observed the differences in cranial ornamentation.

In a comprehensive study of numerous fossils of Pachycephalosaurus published in 2009, John R. Horner and Mark B. Goodwin , a strong variation warn ontogenetic of the skull : large morphological differences between juveniles and adults. For them, the flat Dracorex skull , the nodules at the front end, the small spines at the back, and the thick but non-dome-shaped frontoparietal, indicate that the only known specimen is a juvenile Pachycephalosaurus

Alternative interpretation
Dracorex may be a closely related individual of Stygimoloch and / or Pachycephalosaurus in which the cupola and horns are not well developed either because the animal was a juvenile or a female. This consideration was supported at the 2007 annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Jack Horner from Montana State University presented evidence, from analysis of the skull of the only extant specimen of Dracorex , that this dinosaur could be a juvenile form of Stygimoloch . In addition, he presented data indicating that both Stygimoloch and Dracorex may be juvenile forms ofPachycephalosaurus . Horner and MB Goodwin published their findings in 2009, showing that the spine / nodule bones and cranial domes of all three species' exhibit extreme plasticity and that both Dracorex and Stygimoloch are known only from juvenile specimens, while Pachycephalosaurus is only known from specimens. Adults". These observations, plus the fact that all three forms lived at the same time and place, lead them to conclude that Dracorex and Stygimoloch may have simply been juvenile Pachycephalosaurs that had lost their spines and developed domes as they aged. The researchers were unable to break out Dracorex's skull to sample it,  and had to use a cast of the skull for descriptive purposes.
A 2010 study by Nick Longrich and colleagues also supported the hypothesis that all flat-headed pachycephalosaurus were juveniles, suggesting that flat-domed forms, such as Goyocephale and Homalocephale , represent the juveniles of domed adults. 
In 2016, Goodwin and Evans analyzed the youngest known ontogimorphs of Pachycephalosaurus , collected from the Hell Creek Formation. While this material would normally refer to DracorexSince it represented one or more individuals younger than the only known Dracorex individual and displayed similar characteristics, the items showed that the unique characters in Dracorex and Stygimoloch represent morphological characters consisting of a morphological continuum for Pachycephalosaurus . In other words, these younger individuals showed that Dracorex characteristics were probably transient and can be easily traced on a growth curve to Pachycephalosaurus , where Stygimoloch and Dracorex are incorporated into this genus. As such, DracorexIt is probably not a single species, but a more modern synonym for Pachycephalosaurus .
This study has not been challenging and represents the most recent analysis of this genre. In conclusion, an ontogenetic relationship is established, being infantile, juvenile and adult individuals of the same species, between Dracorex hogwartsia , Stygimoloch spinifer and Pachycephalosaurus wyomingensis , the latter being the bearer of the valid species name, as it is the first of the three to be described.

Name
The name Dracorex hogwartsia was inspired by young visitors to the Children's Museum of Indianapolis as a tribute to both dragons (Dracorex means "dragon king"), which the animal resembled, as well as the Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling (hogwartsia for the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the fictional school from the popular series).

References
^ Bakker, R. T., Sullivan, R. M., Porter, V., Larson, P. and Saulsbury, S.J. (2006). "Dracorex hogwartsia, n. gen., n. sp., a spiked, flat-headed pachycephalosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Hell Creek Formation of South Dakota." in Lucas, S. G. and Sullivan, R. M., eds., Late Cretaceous vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35, pp. 331–345. [1]
^ Erik Stokstad,"SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETING:Did Horny Young Dinosaurs Cause Illusion of Separate Species?", Science Vol. 18, 23 Nov. 2007, p. 1236; http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5854/1236.

Fractures of metatarsal are most common fractures in children foot. Most common causes are direct injuries to the fore foot.Here we present a case of non union metatarsal shaft fracture with 90degrees deformity treated by open reduction and internal fixation with locking recon plate in a single sitting.

Ordovician open marine Lagerstätten are relatively rare and widely dispersed, producing a patchy picture of the diversity and biogeography of nonmineralized marine organisms and challenging our understanding of the fate of Cambrian groups. Here, for the first time, we report soft-bodied fossils, including a well-preserved marrellomorph arthropod, fragmentary carapaces, and macroalgae, from the Late Ordovician (Katian) Upper Member of the Kirkfield Formation near Brechin, Ontario. The unmineralized elements and associated exceptionally preserved shelly biota were entombed rapidly in storm deposits that smothered the shallow, carbonate-dominated shelf. The marrellomorph, Tomlinsonus dimitrii n. gen. n. sp., is remarkable for its ornate, curving cephalic spines and pair of hypertrophied appendages, suggesting a slow-moving, benthic lifestyle. Reevaluation of marrellomorph phylogeny using new data favors an arachnomorph affinity, although internal relationships are robust to differing o...

Fossil occurrences across the world are endangered by development, construction, collecting, and vandalism, even though many outstanding examples have been protected by World Heritage Sites, national parks, monuments and reserves, state and provincial parks, and local government and non-profit organizations, as well as some private individuals. The International Palaeontological Association (IPA) established a PaleoParks Initiative to protect endangered sites and to catalog and make public established parks of any nature that protect fossils in the ground, a primary source of scientific data, educational opportunities and recreational activities, as well as key places protecting &quot;living fossils&quot;. IPA has 15 aims and goals and a web site for documenting both established and proposed sites. IPA sponsored meetings and workshops at three international meetings over the past five years to discuss these problems, successful solutions, and its goals and aims. Ten examples of Pale...

Copyright 2009, Society of Petroleum Engineers This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2009 SPE/EAGE Reservoir Characterization and Simulation Conference held in Abu Dhabi, UAE, 19–21 October 2009. This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE ...

The Chicxulub impact crater in Mexico is the site of the impact purported to have caused mass extinctions at the Cretaceous/Tertiary (K/T) boundary. 2-D hydrocode modeling of the impact, coupled with studies of the impact site geology, indicate that between 0.4 and 7.0 × 10 17 g of sulfur were vaporized by the impact into anhydrite target rocks. A small portion of the sulfur was released as SO 3 or SO 4, which converted rapidly into H 2SO 4 aerosol and fell as acid rain. A radiative transfer model, coupled with a model of coagulation indicates that the aerosol prolonged the initial blackout period caused by impact dust only if the aerosol contained impurities. A larger portion of sulfur was released as SO 2, which converted to aerosol slowly, due to the rate-limiting oxidation of SO 2. Our radiative transfer calculations, combined with rates of acid production, coagulation, and diffusion indicate that solar transmission was reduced to 10-20% of normal for a period of 8-13 yr. This reduction produced a climate forcing (cooling) of -300 Wm -2, which far exceeded the +8 Wm -2 greenhouse warming, caused by the CO 2 released through the vaporization of carbonates, and therefore produced a decade of freezing and near-freezing temperatures. Several decades of moderate warming followed the decade of severe cooling due to the long residence time of CO 2. The prolonged impact winter may have been a major cause of the K/T extinctions.

We describe a new stylonurid eurypterid from the evaporitic potassium-salt deposits of the Upper Devo-nian (Famennian) Soligorsk Formation in the Pripyat Trough of Belarus. All specimens are assigned to Soli-gorskopterus tchepeliensis new genus new species, which represents the first formally described eurypterid species from Belarus. The occurrence of well-preserved eurypterids in these unusual evaporite deposits is most likely due to transport from freshwater stream habitats into a hypersaline setting following death. Soligorskopterus tchepeliensis n. gen. n. sp. appears to be intermediate between the traditionally considered parastylonurids and stylonurids and thus extends our understanding of stylonurid evolution in the mid-Paleozoic. Soligorskopterus n. gen. extends the occurrence of Famennian eurypterids into eastern Laurussia and the Stylonuridae into the Upper Devonian, and this taxon could be part of a global eurypterid habitat shift that took place in the Late Devonian.

Abstract Sauropod dinosaurs were the largest terrestrial
herbivores and pushed at the limits of vertebrate biomechanics
and physiology. Sauropods exhibit high craniodental
diversity in ecosystems where numerous species coexisted,
leading to the hypothesis that this biodiversity is
linked to niche subdivision driven by ecological specialisation.
Here, we quantitatively investigate feeding behaviour
hypotheses for the iconic sauropod Diplodocus. Biomechanical
modelling, using finite element analysis, was used to
examine the performance of the Diplodocus skull. Three
feeding behaviours were modelled: muscle-driven static biting,
branch stripping and bark stripping. The skull was found to be
‘over engineered’ for static biting, overall experiencing low
stress with only the dentition enduring high stress. When
branch stripping, the skull, similarly, is under low stress, with
little appreciable difference between those models. When simulated for bark stripping, the skull experiences far greater
stresses, especially in the teeth and at the jaw joint. Therefore,
we refute the bark-stripping hypothesis, while the hypotheses
of branch stripping and/or precision biting are both
consistent with our findings, showing that branch stripping
is a biomechanically plausible feeding behaviour
for diplodocids. Interestingly, in all simulations, peak
stress is observed in the premaxillary–maxillary ‘lateral
plates’, supporting the hypothesis that these structures
evolved to dissipate stress induced while feeding. These
results lead us to conclude that the aberrant craniodental
form of Diplodocus was adapted for food procurement
rather than resisting high bite forces.

Flying fishes are extraordinary aquatic vertebrates capable of gliding great distances over water by exploiting their enlarged pectoral fins and asymmetrical caudal fin. Some 50 species of extant flying fishes are classified in the Exocoetidae (Neopterygii: Teleostei), which have a fossil record no older than the Eocene. The Thoracopteridae is the only pre-Cenozoic group of non-teleosts that shows an array of features associated with the capability of over-water gliding. Until recently, however, the fossil record of the Thoracopteridae has been limited to the Upper Triassic of Austria and Italy. Here, we report the discovery of exceptionally well-preserved fossils of a new thoracopterid flying fish from the Middle Triassic of China, which represents the earliest evidence of an over-water gliding strategy in vertebrates. The results of a phylogenetic analysis resolve the Thoracopteridae as a stem-group of the Neopterygii that is more crown-ward than the Peltopleuriformes, yet more ba...

The paper presents the results of the study of vertebrate fossil assemblages recovered from the Grot
Skeliastyi rock shelter in south-western Crimea (Ukraine). The deposition of its fossil-bearing layers covers
the time span from the Late Glacial to the early Holocene. The studied sample consists of 2,736 bones
belonging to 52 species of vertebrates (including 3 fishes, 1 amphibian, 12 reptiles, 10 birds, 26 small and
large mammals). Among them, the past presence of the Aesculapian snake, four-lined ratsnake, squacco
heron, tree pipit, and water pipit in the region is here documented for the first time. Extinct taxa in the faunal
assemblage of Grot Skeliastyi were represented by wild horse, European ass, steppe bison, and woolly
mammoth. Remains of small animals were accumulated due to the feeding activity of the eagle owl, while
bones of large mammals could have been a part of the prey of carnivores but mostly are associated with the
hunting activity of ancient people who inhabited the rock shelter. Most of the species persisted from the
Pleistocene to the Holocene without losses. Our results indicate that the Pleistocene/Holocene transition in
Crimea was not characterised by drastic faunal changes unlike those in other parts of Eastern Europe.Not
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Increasing exports, to replicate the national income and by contributing to the elimination of the low income of the narrow strait in the country is supporting economic development. Export in terms of business, usage of the available physical and human resources effectively and reducement of the idle capacity, the company&#39;s growth and allows the realization of the objectives accordingly. The country&#39;s economy as much as it is for businesses as well as the export is of great importance in it. One of the most important issues for the country&#39;s economy is to ensure stability. Export is one of the permanent solutions for stability. Activities aimed at increasing the export of businesses that obtained in the study in order of importance when considered; conduct market research, to produce products of international quality standards, to increase productivity, create advertising campaigns and brand image, to participate in national and international trade fairs, continue their ...