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Eotyrannus (meaning "dawn tyrant") is a genus of tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaur hailing from the Early Cretaceous Wessex Formation beds, included in Wealden Group, located in the southwest coast of the Isle of Wight, United Kingdom. The remains (MIWG1997.550), consisting of assorted skull, axial skeleton and appendicular skeleton elements, from a juvenile or subadult, found in a plant debris clay bed, were described by Hutt et al. in early 2001. The etymology of the generic name refers to the animals classification as an early tyrannosaur or "tyrant lizard", while the specific name honors the discoverer of the fossil.

Eotyrannus has the following tyrannosauroid characters: serrated premaxillary teeth with a D cross section, proportionally elongate tibiae and metatarsals. Primitive characters for Tyrannosauroidea are the elongate neck vertebrae and the long, well-developed arms forelimbs along with the undecorated dorsal surface of the skull, unlike the more advanced tyrannosaurids. However this animal, proportionally, has one of the longest hands among non-avialan theropods known to date. This theropod would be a probable predator of such herbivorous dinosaurs as Hypsilophodon.

The holotype of Eotyrannus is estimated to have measured about 4 m (13 ft) long. However, it is believed to have been juvenile.

The discovery of Eotyrannus corroborates the notion that early tyrannosauroids were gracile with long forelimbs and three-fingered grasping hands, although the somewhat large size of the animal either means that early evolution for this clade was carried out at a large size or Eotyrannus developed large size independently. The find of this animal in Europe puts in question to the purported Asian origin for these animals along with North American Stokesosaurus and European Aviatyrannis arguing for a more complex biogeography for tyrannosauroids.

Source: www.natgeo.com / https://en.wikipedia.org

Sinoceratops is a genus of ceratopsian dinosaur that lived approximately 72 to 66 million years ago during the latter part of the Cretaceous Period in what is now Shandong province in China. It was named in 2010 by Xu Xing et al. for three skulls from Zhucheng, China. The name of its type species Sinoceratops zhuchengensis means "Chinese horned face from Zhucheng", after the location of its discovery.

Sinoceratops was a medium-sized, averagely-built, ground-dwelling, quadrupedal herbivore. It could grow up to an estimated 6 m (19.7 ft) length and 2 metres (6.6 ft) height, and weigh up to 2 tonnes (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons). It was the first ceratopsid dinosaur discovered in China, and the only ceratopsid known from Asia. All other centrosaurines, and all chasmosaurines, are known from fossils discovered in North America, except for possibly Turanoceratops. Sinoceratops is also significant because it is one of the largest known centrosaurines, and is much larger than any other known basal members of this group.

Sinoceratops was discovered in the Xingezhuang Formation, which was deposited during the late Cretaceous. It lived alongside leptoceratopsids, saurolophines, and tyrannosaurines. The most common creature in the formation was Shantungosaurus, to which most of the material has been assigned. The animals living alongside Sinoceratops and Shantungosaurus were Zhuchengceratops, Zhuchengtitan, and Zhuchengtyrannus.

Sinoceratops was a larger ceratopsian ornithischian, with an estimated length of about 6 metres (19.7 ft), weight of 2 tonnes (2.0 long tons; 2.2 short tons), and height of about 2 metres (6.6 ft). Thomas R. Holtz Jr. estimated its length at 7 metres (23 ft) and weight at 2.3 tonnes (2.3 long tons; 2.5 short tons), the weight of a rhinoceros. It has a short, hooked horn on its nose (called a nasal horn), no horns above its eyes (brow horns), and a short neck frill with a series of forward-curving hornlets that gave the frill a crown-like appearance. Inside this row of hornlets there is a series of low knobs on the top of the frill, which are not seen in any other horned dinosaur. Sinoceratops is a member of the short-frilled ceratopsids, the Centrosaurinae. Holotype specimen ZCDM V0010 consists of a partial skull with most elements of the skull roof and partial braincase. The skull of Sinoceratops is estimated to be 180 cm (5.9 ft) long making it one of the largest known centrosaurine skulls.

The holotype specimen ZCDM V0010, consisting of a partial skull, including a braincase, was in the summer of 2008 recovered at the Xingezhuang Formation of the Wangshi Groupin Shandong, China. The specimen was collected in fluvial sediments that were deposited during the Campanian-Maastrichtian stages of the Cretaceous period, approximately 72–66 million years ago. Two other specimens have been recovered from the same formation. Specimen ZCDM V0011 is a partial skull that consists of the skull roof and most of the braincase, and ZCDM V0012 represents a partial braincase.

Sinoceratops was assigned to the taxon Centrosaurinae, as a basal member by Xu et al. (2010) based on characteristics present in the skull. Sinoceratops bears several characteristics that resemble features in chasmosaurines, blurring the distinction between the Centrosaurinae and Chasmosaurinae. According to Xu e.a. the basal position of Sinoceratops indicates that ceratopids originated in Asia. Sinoceratops however, shares a number of features with advanced centrosaurines such as Centrosaurus and Styracosaurus that are not seen in primitive centrosaurines like Diabloceratops, including a well-developed nose horn and reduced brow horns. The implication might be that this genus represents a lineage that invaded Asia from North America through Beringia.

Sinoceratops is known from the Xingezhuang Formation of southern China. It is known from skull material. Alongside it, in the formation, lived Shantungosaurus, a very common hadrosaurid to which most of the material has been assigned, Zhuchengtyrannus, an Asian tyrannosaurid related to Tarbosaurus, Zhuchengceratops, an Asian leptoceratopsid, and Huaxiaosaurus, a possible older individual of Shantungosaurus. Other possible remains have been assigned to Zhuchengosaurus, a probable junior synonym of Shantungosaurus, and material tentatively assigned to Tyrannosaurus.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org / www.natgeo.com

Nigersaurus is a genus of rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur that lived during the middle Cretaceous period, about 115 to 105 million years ago. It was discovered in the Elrhaz Formation in an area called Gadoufaoua, in the Republic of Niger. Fossils of this dinosaur were first described in 1976, but it was only named Nigersaurus taqueti in 1999, after further and more complete remains were found and described. The genus name means "Niger reptile", and the specific name honours the French palaeontologist Philippe Taquet, who discovered the first remains.

Nigersaurus was 9 metres (30 feet) long, which is small for a sauropod, and had a short neck. It weighed around four tonnes, comparable to a modern elephant. Its skeleton was highly pneumatised (filled with air spaces connected to air sacs), but the limbs were robustly built. Its skull was very specialised for feeding, with large fenestrae and thin bones. It had a wide muzzle filled with more than 500 teeth, which were replaced at a rapid rate: around every 14 days. The jaws may have borne a keratinous sheath. Unlike other tetrapods, the tooth-bearing bones of its jaws were rotated transversely relative to the rest of the skull, so that all of its teeth were located far to the front.

The closest relatives of Nigersaurus are grouped within the subfamily Nigersaurinae of the family Rebbachisauridae, which is part of the sauropod superfamily Diplodocoidea. Nigersaurus was probably a browser, and fed with its head close to the ground. The region of its brain that detected smell was underdeveloped, although its brain size was comparable to that of other dinosaurs. There has been debate on whether its head was habitually held downwards, or horizontally like other sauropods. It lived in a riparian habitat, and its diet probably consisted of soft plants, such as ferns, horsetails, and angiosperms. It is one of the most common fossil vertebrates found in the area, and shared its habitat with other dinosaurian megaherbivores, as well as large theropods and crocodylomorphs.

Like all sauropods, Nigersaurus was a megafaunal quadruped with a small head, thick hind legs, and a prominent tail. Among that clade, Nigersaurus was fairly small, with a body length of only 9 m (30 ft) and a femur reaching only 1 m (3 ft 3 in). It may have weighed around four tonnes, comparable to a modern elephant. It had a short neck for a sauropod, with thirteen cervical vertebrae. Nearly all rebbachisaurids had relatively short necks and a length of 10 m (33 ft) or less. The only member of the family that reached the size of larger sauropods was Rebbachisaurus.

The skull of Nigersaurus was delicate, with the four side fenestrae (openings in the skull) larger than in other sauropodomorphs. The total area of bone connecting the muzzle to the back of the skull was only 1.0 cm²(0.16 sq in). These connecting struts of bones were usually less than 2 mm (0.08 in) thick. Despite this, the skull was resistant to the sustained shearing of the teeth. Another unique trait it had among sauropodomorphs was a closed supratemporal fenestra. The nasal openings, the bony nostrils, were elongated. Though the nasal bones are not completely known, it appears the front margin of the bony nostril was closer to the snout than in other diplodocoids. The snout was also proportionately shorter, and the tooth row was not at all prognathous, the snout tip not protruding relative to the remainder of the tooth series. The maxillary tooth row was in its entirety transversely rotated, its normal rear 90° everted towards the front. This was matched by an identical rotation of the dentary of the lower jaw. As a result, no other tetrapod had all of its teeth located as far to the front as Nigersaurus.

Nigersaurus was named and described in more detail by Sereno and colleagues only in 1999, based on remains of newly found individuals. The same article also named Jobaria, another sauropod from Niger. The genus name Nigersaurus ("Niger reptile") is a reference to the country where it was discovered, and the specific name taqueti honours Taquet, who was the first to organise large-scale palaeontological expeditions to Niger. The holotype specimen (MNN GAD512) consists of a partial skull and neck. Limb material and a scapula found nearby were also referred to the same specimen. These fossils are housed at the National Museum of Niger.

The remains of Nigersaurus were initially described in 1976 as belonging to a dicraeosaurid, but in 1999 Sereno's team reclassified it as a rebbachisaurid diplodocoid. Rebbachisauridae is the basalmost family within the superfamily Diplodocoidea, which also contains the long-necked diplodocids and the short-necked dicraeosaurids. The subfamily Nigersaurinae, which includes Nigersaurus and closely related genera, was named by John A. Whitlock in 2011.

Nigersaurus is known from the Elrhaz Formation of the Tegama Group in an area called Gadoufaoua, located in Niger. It is one of the most commonly found vertebrates in the formation. The Elrhaz Formation consists mainly of fluvial sandstones with low relief, much of which is obscured by sand dunes. The sediments are coarse- to medium-grained, with almost no fine-grained horizons. Nigersaurus lived in what is now Niger about 115 to 105 million years ago, during the Aptian and Albian ages of the mid-Cretaceous. It likely lived in habitats dominated by inland floodplains (a riparian zone).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org / www.natgeo.com

Rebbachisaurus is a genus of sauropod dinosaur of the superfamily Diplodocoidea, estimated at 14 metres (46 ft) to 20 metres (66 ft) in length, and 7 metric tons (7.7 short tons) in weight, that lived during the Early–Late Cretaceous period in Africa and Europe about 99 million years ago. This massive four-legged plant-eating animal that lived in Morocco,Niger,Tunisia and Spain had a small head, a long, graceful neck and a whiplike tail. Rebbachisaurus is distinguished from other sauropods by its unusually tall, ridged back. The discovery of Rayososaurus, a South American sauropod nearly identical to Rebbachisaurus, supports the theory that there was still a land connection between Africa and South America during the Early Cretaceous, long after it was commonly thought the two continents had separated.

A second species was named by Lapparent in 1960, Rebbachisaurus tamesnensis. However, the material of this taxon was collected from multiple localities across the Sahara, and is not referrable to Rebbachisaurus.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Paleontology is inherently a crowd-pleasing science - it’s mysterious, bizarre, and catches your attention as a kid. But you don’t have to find a dinosaur in your backyard to get involved in paleontology. If paleontology is something you want to do for a living, try out some of the following advice. These tips will help get your feet wet and build your resume for when you eventually start sending out applications... plus, they’re incredibly fun!

1. Volunteer at local museum or lab
A lot of paleontological work gets done by volunteers, including sorting, cleaning, finding, and even identifying fossil material. If you live in a college town then there is a good likelihood that the school has a museum or a Geology/Earth Science department. Many natural history museums also accept volunteer assistance. With a museum, check out the membership options or see if they have a volunteer program. If you’re interested in paleontology as a career, this can be a great way to network and gain valuable resume experience.

2. Participate in digs
Having fieldwork experience can make a world of difference on college or scholarship applications, and in my opinion it is the best part of paleontology. A lot of what captivates people about the science is the element of mystery, and field work really taps into that. There are all sorts of opportunities to get outside and dig up fossils such as Passport in Time (PIT) projects offered through the USFS, or private digs offered through museums in places like South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, and Utah. I also encourage participation in science summer camps that are based around paleontology, such as the Paleontology Research Team camp offered through the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI).

3. Read, Read, and Read
If you are serious about paleontology then you better hit the books (or audiobooks). It is your responsibility as a scientist to be knowledgeable about your field. Here are a number of books, mostly non-fiction, that I would recommend: Ever Since Darwin by Stephen Jay Gould (anything by Gould is worth reading), Vertebrate Paleontology by Michael Benton, The Dinosaur Heresies by Robert Bakker, Your Inner Fish by Neil Shubin, and of course, On the Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin. For some fun fiction books that could also be sold as mildly educational, try Raptor Red by Robert Bakker (this was literally my favorite book growing up) and Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.

4. Participate in science contests
Science fairs are great opportunities to practice your science skills and create your own experiment. Usually science fairs are sponsored by local school districts, though there are larger science contests out there, too, such as Google’s online Science Fair. When I was a senior in high school I was a finalist for the American Museum of Natural History Young Naturalist Award for my research on oreodonts and while I did not win (I still got $50, helped pay for prom!) it was still a great learning process and it inspired me to continue putting my work out there.

5. Study up on math and science
If you’re interested in paleontology as a career you will need to get a college degree in a relevant field, such as biology or geology. These majors require taking all sorts of science classes and math courses, too. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not let this discourage you!! So many students, especially female ones, allow themselves to be intimidated by these STEM classes but there is no need for that. Give yourself plenty of time to study tough concepts and don’t be afraid to ask clarification questions or ask for help. Other courses that would be useful in paleontology include geography, computer programming, GIS, anthropology, statistics, and anatomy and physiology.

6. Start networking
If you would like to be a successful paleontologist then you should start talking to one! I remember being terrified to talk to college professors when I was in high school but it paid off nicely in the future. I encourage you to contact professional paleontologists in your area and explain your desire to be more involved in paleontology. You may have to go out of your comfort zone to talk to people with similar research interests as yourself, but I almost guarantee that they will be impressed with your ambition. A good professional connection may lead to research projects, jobs, fieldwork opportunities, or a letter of recommendation.

7. Join scientific societies
There are a number of professional societies in the United States that have spots for student members (undergraduate or graduate). A few, such as the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, even allow members under 18 years old if they have parental permission. These societies (GSA, NAPC, AGU, SVP, etc.) have meetings all over the country during the year. If a meeting is ever taking place near your town you should register for at least a day pass and check it out.

8. Check out the National Parks 
National Parks are a goldmine for paleontology opportunities with more than 230 NPS areas known to contain fossils. Fossils from the parks collectively represent every period of geologic history and are incredible resources for the public. Recently the NPS started the National Fossil Day campaign to promote public awareness and stewardship of fossils. If you are visiting any National Park this October 16th be sure to ask about any special programs going on in honor of National Fossil Day. Many parks also have activities for paleo-minded kids such as the Junior Paleontologist Program.

9. Apply for internships
I have been lucky enough to be a part of two incredible internship programs, the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and the GeoCorps program offered through the Geological Society of America. These internships work with the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, or U.S. Forest Service and give students (or recent graduates) hands-on work experience. My time as an intern was invaluable; I made many professional contacts, vastly increased my geologic knowledge, improved my communication skills, and both internships opened the door for actual paid positions with the National Park Service.

10. Stay passionate
Paleontology is a tough discipline to work in, there aren’t a lot of jobs available and there are still societal pressures that discourage many people from pursuing this science. But if you truly got the love you can make it as a career, or as a well-loved hobby if that’s your preference. Paleontology offers a glimpse into the another time that we can never fully get back. This science is the closest thing we have to a time machine, but with more room for imagination. Fossils represent mysteries to solve, adventures to embark, and stories to share. There are millions of reasons to be a paleontologist, which one will inspire you?

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com

Alberta is redesigning its driver’s licences and including one change that was 66 million years in the making.

The new licences will have modern, updated security features such as clear windows, laser engraving and three-dimensional embossing to foil counterfeiters.

They will also have imagery reflecting Alberta’s landscape and history, including the dinosaur Albertosaurus.

Remains of the T.-rex-type predator from the late Cretaceous period were first found in Alberta.

Service Alberta Minister Stephanie McLean said the province is breaking ground by blending security and safety with artistic design.

“It’s the first time in North America that these security features have all been included on one ID document,” McLean said Wednesday. “The dinosaur I’m particularly excited about.

“I was proud to be able to choose that because it really represents some uniqueness of Alberta … it’s a fun character to include and also adds to the security element (of the card).”

It’s the first redesign in almost a decade.

The driver’s licences are being produced now and will cost about $1 million less annually to produce because of technological advances, McLean said.

Albertans will get the new licences as their old ones expire.

The cards have three windows, including one in the shape of Alberta. They also change colour from one part of the card to the other and make a tin-like sound when dropped on a hard surface.

There is raised printing on some of the data and on the dinosaur. The dinosaur’s tail continues onto the back of the card and appears to extend through the Alberta-shaped window.

Government-issued ID cards are also being updated.

Health Minister Sarah Hoffman said the province is still looking at overhauling its health-care cards, but nothing firm is in the works.

“During tough economic times, making decisions about investing in these types of things is challenging,” she said.

Alberta first began thinking about changing its health cards in 2008. In 2015, the auditor general urged the province modernize them, particularly by adding an expiry date.

The cards are paper, making them easy to rip or fray, and have no photo ID.

Source: www.reddeeradvocate.com

Chinese and American paleontologists reported on Wednesday in the journal Science Advances the discovery of earliest animal fossil footprint ever found.

The fossil footprints for animal appendages was made in the Ediacaran Period, about 635 to 541 million years ago in China, according to the study.

Bilaterian animals such as arthropods and annelids have paired appendages or "legs" and are among the most diverse animals today and in the geological past.

They are often assumed to have appeared and radiated suddenly during the so-called "Cambrian Explosion" about 541 to 510 million years ago, but scientists now tend to consider that their evolutionary ancestry was rooted in the Ediacaran Period.

Until the current discovery, however, no fossil record of animal appendages had been found in that period.

Researchers from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Virginia Tech in the United States studied trackways and burrows discovered in the Ediacaran Shibantan Member of the Dengying Formation (551 to 541 million years ago) in the Yangtze Gorges area of southern China.

The trackways are somewhat irregular, consisting of two rows of imprints that are arranged in series or repeated groups, according to the study.

The characteristics of the trackways indicated that they were produced by bilaterian animals with paired appendages that raised the animal body above the water-sediment interface.

Also, the trackways appear to be connected to burrows, suggesting that the animals may have periodically dug into sediments and microbial mats, perhaps to mine oxygen and food.

These trace fossils represent some of the earliest known evidence for animal appendages and extend the earliest trace fossil record of animals with appendages from the early Cambrian to the late Ediacaran Period.

The body fossils of the animals that made these traces, however, have not yet been found.

Source: www.xinhuanet.com

The Ediacaran Period spans 94 million years from the end of the Cryogenian Period 635 million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Cambrian Period 541 Mya. It marks the end of the Proterozoic Eon, and the beginning of the Phanerozoic Eon. It is named after the Ediacara Hills of South Australia.

The Ediacaran Period's status as an official geological period was ratified in 2004 by the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS), making it the first new geological period declared in 120 years. Although the period takes its name from the Ediacara Hills where geologist Reg Sprigg first discovered fossils of the eponymous Ediacara biota in 1946, the type section is located in the bed of the Enorama Creek within Brachina Gorge in the Flinders Ranges of South Australia, at 31°19′53.8″S 138°38′0.1″E.

The Ediacaran Period overlaps, but is shorter than the Vendian Period, a name that was earlier, in 1952, proposed by Russian geologist and paleontologist Boris Sokolov. The Vendian concept was formed stratigraphically top-down, and the lower boundary of the Cambrian became the upper boundary of the Vendian.

Paleontological substantiation of this boundary was worked out separately for the siliciclastic basin (base of the Baltic Stage of the Eastern European Platform) and for the carbonate basin (base of the Tommotian Stage of the Siberian Platform). The lower boundary of the Vendian was suggested to be defined at the base of the Varanger (Laplandian) tillites.

The Vendian in its type area consists of large subdivisions such as Laplandian, Redkino, Kotlin and Rovno Regional stages with the globally traceable subdivisions and their boundaries, including its lower one.

The Redkino, Kotlin and Rovno regional stages have been substantiated in the type area of the Vendian on the basis of the abundant organic-walled microfossils, megascopic algae, metazoan body fossils and ichnofossils.

The lower boundary of the Vendian could have a biostratigraphic substantiation as well taking into consideration the worldwide occurrence of the Pertatataka assemblage of giant acanthomorph acritarchs.

The Ediacaran Period (ca. 635-542 Mya) represents the time from the end of global Marinoan glaciation to the first appearance worldwide of somewhat complicated trace fossils (Treptichnus pedum (Seilacher, 1955)).

Although the Ediacaran Period does contain soft-bodied fossils, it is unusual in comparison to later periods because its beginning is not defined by a change in the fossil record. Rather, the beginning is defined at the base of a chemically distinctive carbonate layer that is referred to as a "cap carbonate," because it caps glacial deposits.

This bed is characterized by an unusual depletion of ¹³C that indicates a sudden climatic change at the end of the Marinoan ice age. The lower boundary GSSP of the Ediacaran is at the base of the cap carbonate (Nuccaleena Formation), immediately above the Elatina diamictite in the Enorama Creek section, Brachina Gorge, Flinders Ranges, South Australia.

The GSSP of the upper boundary of the Ediacaran is the lower boundary of the Cambrian on the SE coast of Newfoundland approved by the International Commission on Stratigraphy as a preferred alternative to the base of the Tommotian Stage in Siberia which was selected on the basis of the ichnofossil Treptichnus pedum (Seilacher, 1955). In the history of stratigraphy it was the first case of usage of bioturbations for the System boundary definition.

Nevertheless, the definitions of the lower and upper boundaries of the Ediacaran on the basis of chemostratigraphy and ichnofossils are disputable.

Cap carbonates generally have a restricted geographic distribution (due to specific conditions of their precipitation) and usually siliciclastic sediments laterally replace the cap carbonates in a rather short distance but cap carbonates do not occur above every tillite elsewhere in the world.

The C-isotope chemostratigraphic characteristics obtained for contemporaneous cap carbonates in different parts of the world may be variable in a wide range owing to different degrees of secondary alteration of carbonates, dissimilar criteria used for selection of the least altered samples, and, as far as the C-isotope data are concerned, due to primary lateral variations of δ ^l3C_carb in the upper layer of the ocean.

Furthermore, Oman presents in its stratigraphic record a large negative carbon isotope excursion, within the Shuram Formation that is clearly away from any glacial evidence strongly questioning systematic association of negative δ ^l3C_carb excursion and glacial events. Also, the Shuram excursion is prolonged and is estimated to last for ~9.0 Myrs.

As to the Treptichnus pedum, a reference ichnofossil for the lower boundary of the Cambrian, its usage for the stratigraphic detection of this boundary is always risky, because of the occurrence of very similar trace fossils belonging to the Treptichnids group well below the level of T. pedum in Namibia, Spain and Newfoundland, and possibly, in the western United States. The stratigraphic range of T. pedum overlaps the range of the Ediacaran fossils in Namibia, and probably in Spain.

Subdivisions

The Ediacaran period is not yet formally subdivided, but a proposed scheme recognises an Upper Ediacaran whose base corresponds with the Gaskiers glaciation, a Terminal Ediacaran Stage starting around 550 million years ago, a preceding stage beginning around 557 Ma with the earliest widespread Ediacaran biota fossils; two proposed schemes differ on whether the lower strata should be divided into an Early and Middle Ediacaran or not, because it's not clear whether the Shuram excursion (which would divide the Early and Middle) is a separate event from the Gaskiers, or whether the two events are correlated.

Absolute dating

The dating of the rock type section of the Ediacaran Period in South Australia has proven uncertain. Therefore, the age range of 635 to 542 million years is based on correlations to other countries where dating has been possible. The base age of approximately 635 million years is based on U-Pb (uranium-lead) isochron dating from Namibia and China.

Applying this age to the base of the Ediacaran assumes that cap carbonates are laid down synchronously around the world and that the correct cap carbonate layers have been selected in such diverse locals as Australian and Namibia. This is controversial because an age of about 580 million years has been obtained for glacial rocks in Tasmania which some scientists tentatively assign to those just beneath the Ediacaran rocks of the Flinders Ranges. The age of the top is the same as the widely recognised age for the base of the Cambrian Period 542± 0.3 Mya, producing a misalignment, as the end of the Edicarian Period should mark the start of the Cambrian Period.

Biota

The fossil record from the Ediacaran Period is sparse, as more easily fossilized hard-shelled animals had yet to evolve. The Ediacaran biota include the oldest definite multicellular organisms (with specialized tissues), the most common types of which resemble segmented worms, fronds, disks, or immobile bags.

Ediacara biota bear little resemblance to modern lifeforms, and their relationship even with the immediately following lifeforms of the Cambrian explosion is rather difficult to interpret. More than 100 genera have been described, and well known forms include Arkarua, Charnia, Dickinsonia, Ediacaria, Marywadea, Onega, Pteridinium, and Yorgia.

There is evidence that Earth's first mass extinction happened during this period when early animals changed the environment.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

Jurassic Park changed Blockbuster cinema. Use of CGI increased as filmmakers realised that the possibilities were endless. And voila, CGI is ubiquitous now. The film also transformed our notion of how dinosaurs looked and behaved.

Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park released in 1993 and changed Hollywood forever. Adapted from Michael Crichton’s best-selling 1990 book, the film starred Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Richard Attenborough. It was a true-blue blockbuster. An entertaining popcorn flick with eye-popping visuals and soundtrack.

But Jurassic Park was also a film with a lot to say than the usual summer flick, putting on the screen the high-concept ideas and questions Crichton’s book had raised. The dinosaurs appeared fairly rarely on the screen for a dinosaur movie, but when they did, it was a magnificent experience. It was the classic rule of hiding more than revealing. Also, the technology was cutting-edge. The prehistoric beasts that are as fantastical as dragons, except they actually existed, suddenly came alive thanks to an inventive use of computer-generated imagery (CGI) and animatronics. Even today, the CGI in Jurassic Park does not feel dated.

After this, the blockbuster cinema changed. Use of CGI increased as filmmakers realised that the possibilities were endless. And voila, CGI is ubiquitous now. The way film was marketed and its franchise and merchandise created (with actual theme park built by Universal Studios) has become a standard now. All the summer blockbusters today that extensively use CGI effects like Avengers series, Avatar, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and so on owe a big chunk of their success to Jurassic Park.

Jurassic Park also changed dinosaurs. No, not the ones that existed hundreds of millions of years ago. But it altered how most humans envisioned them. If you were not a paleontologist then, you had only a vague notion of how dinosaurs may have looked and behaved. Sure, there had been dinosaur movies before (the first one was a silent film in 1914!), but none had the scale, budget, talented crew and realism that Jurassic Park had. For the first time, we had a concrete idea of these ferocious beasts that once ruled the earth. Spielberg consulted famous palaeontologist Jack Horner for accurate representation.

Oh and Jurassic Park also inspired countless young moviegoers to become palaeontologists. Let’s admit it, digging up fossils and painstakingly analysing them in a largely unrewarding and thankless job is not everybody’s cup of tea. But Sam Neill and Laura Dern’s portrayal (Dern played a paleobotanist) gave the career option a certain glamour that the wide-eyed teenagers watching the movie found unable to resist. Many reportedly even changed careers.

Source: http://indianexpress.com

David Polly says the Paris auction house told him to put in a bid if he had concerns.

A dinosaur skeleton just sold for over $3 million at a Paris auction — but scientists aren't pleased with the sale.

In the lead up to the auction, a letter was sent to the Aguttes auction house from the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Researchers explained how the private sale of historical artifacts like this could hinder further scientific advances and discoveries.

The dinosaur, which is likely a type of Allosaurus, was found in Wyoming in 2013.

David Polly, the president of the society, spoke to As It Happens host Carol Off about why he thinks the sale was the wrong move. Here is part of their conversation.

Mr. Polly, why did you try to stop this dinosaur skeleton from being sold at auction?

It's important for the scientific process that specimens that tell us something about the earth's past go into a public repository because scientists need to reexamine them, verify what other people have concluded, and ask new questions of them. The only way to guarantee that they are available is to put them into a repository.

And how significant is this particular skeleton? What do you know about this dinosaur?

To some extent, we don't know that much because it hasn't been properly studied. But the auction house that sold it, in the information that they put out, declared that it seemed to have differences that would distinguish it from the species of Allosaurus that we already know and they intimated that it was probably a new species.

Therefore, it would be an example of a completely new life that we didn't know about it. So it would be important for it to be studied properly to determine whether that's the case or not.

So this could be a completely new dinosaur that scientists have not seen before?

It could be, yes.

How big is it and how intact is it?

I haven't seen it directly but it is supposed to be fairly complete. Allosaurus are smallish if you are thinking about Tyrannosaurus rex. They are maybe, I guess, about half the size. Though if you were standing next to one they would still be pretty big.

Now we know that it has actually been sold, despite your letter. How has the auction house responded?

They didn't say a whole lot. When we wrote to them they suggested maybe we could get some wealthy donors and make a bid on it ourselves.

I suppose it wasn't completely unexpected. It would be a quite magnanimous owner and auction house that would be willing to forgo the amount of money that they figured they would make, and indeed, have made. But it is disappointing.

If this had been found and contributed to science how exciting would that be for people like yourself and scientists who are studying these?

I think in large part it would depend on how new it is. We do know Allosaurus. This is a nice complete skeleton, which would undoubtedly add to our knowledge of Allosaurus. But if it turns out to be new species, then it would be more exciting in the sense that it would really break new ground and, perhaps, indicate that there were more than one of these big theropods living in the same place at the same time, which has all sorts of ecological implications.

And this buyer says that apparently they will lend the skeleton to a museum. Does that help at all?

That's what I've heard — and, yes and no. It certainly allows people to enjoy it. But for going into the scientific record, most paleontologists would steer clear until it was permanently in a repository.

So it would actually be in many ways more useful, for a scientific component, for the person to donate it to a museum and then get it from the museum on loan for their lifetime or something like that. So that at the end of their life it went back to the museum.

Source: www.cbc.ca