Werner W. Schwarzhans, Timo Moritz, James L. Goedert
Silicified scales, bones and one otolith were extracted with mild acid solution from a small carbonate concretion found in the Makah Formation on the south shore of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington State, U.S.A. The strongly-spiny scales are typical for fishes of the family Macrouridae and the otolith facilitates the identification and description of a new species of the genus Coryphaenoides, C. richi sp. nov. The Makah Formation was deposited in a deep-marine outer-fan environment during the early Oligocene. The discovery of Coryphaenoides richi in such an environment is testimony for an effective population of the deep sea with macrourid fishes and that the genus Coryphaenoides was firmly established in the early Oligocene.
Jerit L. Mitchell, Mauricio Barbi, Ryan C. McKellar
et al.
Abstract Soft tissue preservation in fossils has become a popular focus of paleontology research due to easier access to sensitive probes like synchrotron radiation, allowing more detailed analysis of specimens. Although uncommon, reports exist on vascular preservation in dinosaurs, generally as remnants of Haversian canals. However, combined 3D morphological and chemical analysis of large angiogenic dinosaur blood vessels has not been reported before. Here we show characterization of a network of large vessel-like structures in a rib from “RSKM P2523.8” (Royal Saskatchewan Museum), an exceptionally robust Tyrannosaurus rex found in the Late Cretaceous Frenchman Formation, Saskatchewan, Canada. Using Synchrotron Micro-Computed Tomography these structures can be visualized in situ within the bone and matched to chemical microprobing from Synchrotron X-ray Fluorescence and X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure. Combined with conventional optical and electron microscopy, we show the vessel-like structures are composed of pyrite partially oxidized to goethite or hematite, preserved in two distinct layers as permineralized casts. Although no original soft tissues were able to be recovered using the current suite of techniques, the structures’ morphology and sole presence in a fractured area of the rib suggest angiogenic origin. Bone healing and regrowth may offer a promising target for future multi-technique soft tissue experiments analyzing dinosaur healing potential.
Haploceratids from the Štramberk Limestones represent three genera Haploceras, Hypolissoceras, and Volanites. The most species reach genus is Haploceras. The semi-involute shells of the local haploceratids are almost smooth or only with a specific sculpture bound to the ventral region near the peristome. The whorls tend to be weakly arched or flat. Statistical elaboration of H/D, U/D and B/D values during shell growth shows no significant differences between these values, except perhaps for U/D. The external morphology plays a decisive role in the generic and species identification of haploceratids. It is known that haploceratids form dimorphic pairs, as evidenced by the differently shaped peristomes in addition to the different shell sizes. Dimorphic pairs have been demonstrated as new in the Štramberk material for the pairs Haploceras staszycii (microconch, m) and Haploceras elimatum (macroconch, M), as well as Hypolissoceras carachtheis (m) and Hypolissoceras woehleri (M). Haploceras tithonium and Volanites verrucosus possessed dimorphic pairs but their counterparts have not been found in the Štramberk Limestone. With the exception of Volanites verruciferus, the species described here are of no stratigraphical importance. Their stratigraphic range is from the lower Tithonian to the lower Berriasian.
Michal Šujan, Kishan Aherwar, Rastislav Vojtko
et al.
The data included in this article specify the characteristics of the Upper Miocene fill of the Turiec Basin and served for reconstruction of temporal evolution of depositional systems in this intermontane basin located within the Western Carpathians (Central Europe). The borehole lithological log data were used to describe the stratigraphy of the Turiec Basin in geological sections and were gained in the Geofond archive of the State Geological Institute of Dionýz Štúr. The sedimentological data were acquired by field research applying facies analysis to nine outcrop sites. The outcrops served for grain size analyzes performed by sieving and laser diffraction, for geochemical analyzes using ICP-ES, ICP-MS and XRF, and for mineralogical analyzes of whole rock and clay fraction by XRD. Moreover, the muddy layers on outcrops served for collection of 31 samples for the authigenic 10Be/9Be dating. The geochronological data are presented by using five different initial ratios for calculation, determined within the Turiec Basin at the Late Pleistocene alluvial fan and river terrace sites as well as at two Holocene muddy floodplain sites. Another initial ratio data are gained from an Upper Miocene lacustrine succession dated independently by magnetostratigraphy in previous research. Finally, a summary of previously published strontium isotope data from the Turiec Basin is included. The interpretations of the data are provided in Šujan et al., (2023) Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 628, 111746.
Computer applications to medicine. Medical informatics, Science (General)
Sara S. Kahanamoku, Maya Samuels-Fair, Sarah M. Kamel
et al.
Abstract The Santa Barbara Basin is an extraordinary archive of environmental and ecological change, where varved sediments preserve microfossils that provide an annual to decadal record of the dynamics of surrounding ecosystems. Of the microfossils preserved in these sediments, benthic foraminifera are the most abundant seafloor-dwelling organisms. While they have been extensively utilized for geochemical and paleoceanographic work, studies of their morphology are lacking. Here we use a high-throughput imaging method (AutoMorph) designed to extract 2D data from photographic images of fossils to produce a large image and 2D shape dataset of recent benthic foraminifera from two core records sampled from the center of the Santa Barbara Basin that span an ~800-year-long interval during the Common Era (1249–2008 CE). Information on more than 36,000 objects is included, of which more than 22,000 are complete or partially-damaged benthic foraminifera. The dataset also includes other biogenic microfossils including ostracods, pteropods, diatoms, radiolarians, fish teeth, and shark dermal denticles. We describe our sample preparation, imaging, and identification techniques, and outline potential data uses.
Summary: The late Ediacaran Jiangchuan biota, from the Dengying Formation in eastern Yunnan, is well-known for its diverse macroalgal fossils, opening a window onto eukaryotic-dominated ecosystems from the late Neoproterozoic of South China. Although multiple lines of evidence suggest that metazoans had already evolved by the late Ediacaran, animal fossils have not yet been formally described from this locality. Here, we report a putative disc-shaped macrofossil from the Jiangchuan biota, Lobodiscus tribrachialis gen. et sp. nov. This specimen shows the triradial symmetry characteristic of trilobozoans, a group of Ediacaran macrofossils previously documented in Australia and Russia. Lobodiscus could record the youngest known occurrence of trilobozoans, strengthening taxonomic and ecological continuities between the Ediacaran “White Sea” and “Nama” assemblages. Our findings may expand the known paleogeographical distribution of trilobozoans and provide data for Ediacaran biostratigraphic correlations across the Yangtze block and globally, helping to track the diversification of early metazoan-grade organisms.
Over the last thousands of years, human impact led to significant changes in the landscape, with impacts on the environment and the functioning of the ecosystems. We assumed that even small human settlements developed around water bodies might have a substantial impact that surpasses the natural cycles of climate change in an area, especially linked to forest cutting. We have chosen a temporary lake in the Romanian Carpathians as temporary lakes are overlooked in paleoclimatic studies, although they have potential as hotspots for paleoenvironmental research studies. Zăton Lake has exposed riverbank sediments dated with radioactive lead and optical stimulated luminescence techniques, analyzed for sediments and paleomagnetism, and sampled for fossil Oribatida mites. The results show that for the last 2,200 years, natural cycles of warm and cold periods changed the oribatid communities around the lake, with warmer cycles of rich fauna alternating with poor fauna during colder periods. However, in the last few centuries, the increased human occupation in the area replaced the ecologically diverse fauna with eurytopic taxa, more similar to the colder periods of the environmental evolution around the lake. Even if the human occupation around the lake was negligible, probably a few hundred to ∼2,500 people as in the present, the impact on the area is drastic, with ecologically nonspecific species becoming dominant. In conclusion, even small and temporary water bodies can contain unique and valuable information on past histories of climate change and human impacts. At regional scales, the combined effects of climate change and long-term human impacts in local areas can have deleterious effects on invertebrate species and communities.
Dawid Surmik, Justyna Słowiak-Morkovina, Tomasz Szczygielski
et al.
Abstract Background Neoplasms are common across the animal kingdom and seem to be a feature plesiomorphic for metazoans, related with an increase in somatic complexity. The fossil record of cancer complements our knowledge of the origin of neoplasms and vulnerability of various vertebrate taxa. Here, we document the first undoubted record of primary malignant bone tumour in a Mesozoic non-amniote. The diagnosed osteosarcoma developed in the vertebral intercentrum of a temnospondyl amphibian, Metoposaurus krasiejowensis from the Krasiejów locality, southern Poland. Results A wide array of data collected from gross anatomy, histology, and microstructure of the affected intercentrum reveals the tumour growth dynamics and pathophysiological aspects of the neoplasm formation on the histological level. The pathological process almost exclusively pertains to the periosteal part of the bone composed from a highly vascularised tissue with lamellar matrix. The unorganised arrangement of osteocyte lacunae observed in the tissue is characteristic for bone tissue types connected with static osteogenesis, and not for lamellar bone. The neoplastic bone mimics on the structural level the fast growing fibrolamellar bone, but on the histological level develops through a novel ossification type. The physiological process of bone remodelling inside the endochondral domain continued uninterrupted across the pathology of the periosteal part. Conclusions Based on the results, we discuss our case study’s consistence with the Tissue Organization Field Theory of tumorigenesis, which locates the causes of neoplastic transformations in disorders of tissue architecture.
Mauricio González, José A. Álvarez-Gómez, Íñigo Aniel-Quiroga
et al.
Tsunami hazard can be analyzed from both deterministic and probabilistic points of view. The deterministic approach is based on a “credible” worst case tsunami, which is often selected from historical events in the region of study. Within the probabilistic approach (PTHA, Probabilistic Tsunami Hazard Analysis), statistical analysis can be carried out in particular regions where historical records of tsunami heights and runup are available. In areas where these historical records are scarce, synthetic series of events are usually generated using Monte Carlo approaches. Commonly, the sea level variation and the currents forced by the tidal motion are either disregarded or considered and treated as aleatory uncertainties in the numerical models. However, in zones with a macro and meso tidal regime, the effect of the tides on the probability distribution of tsunami hazard can be highly important. In this work, we present a PTHA methodology based on the generation of synthetic seismic catalogs and the incorporation of the sea level variation into a Monte Carlo simulation. We applied this methodology to the Bay of Cádiz area in Spain, a zone that was greatly damaged by the 1755 earthquake and tsunami. We build a database of tsunami numerical simulations for different variables: faults, earthquake magnitudes, epicenter locations and sea levels. From this database we generate a set of scenarios from the synthetic seismic catalogs and tidal conditions based on the probabilistic distribution of the involved variables. These scenarios cover the entire range of possible tsunami events in the synthetic catalog (earthquakes and sea levels). Each tsunami scenario is propagated using the tsunami numerical model C3, from the source region to the target coast (Cádiz Bay). Finally, we map the maximum values for a given probability of the selected variables (tsunami intensity measures) producing a set of thematic hazard maps. 1000 different time series of combined tsunamigenic earthquakes and tidal levels were synthetically generated using the Monte Carlo technique. Each time series had a 10000-year duration. The tsunami characteristics were statistically analyzed to derive different thematic maps for the return periods of 500, 1000, 5000, and 10000 years, including the maximum wave elevation, the maximum current speed, the maximum Froude number, and the maximum total forces.
Aldo Benites-Palomino, Andres E. Reyes-Cespedes, Gabriel Aguirre-Fernández
et al.
Abstract The dense Miocene record of cetaceans is known from localities along the coasts of all continents, mostly in the northern Atlantic or the eastern Pacific regions, but Antarctica. Fossils from the Caribbean region are few and include of a couple of findings from Panama and Venezuela. Here, we report a partly complete skull from the Caujarao Formation (middle Miocene), Falcon State, Caribbean region of Venezuela. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that the Caujarao specimen is a ‘stem delphinidan’, a group that includes several taxa of early diverging odontocetes whose phylogenetic affinities remain a matter of debate. The fossil record has shown that this group of stem delphinidans was taxonomically diverse, but displayed a somewhat homogeneous cranial patterning, with most of the variations being found within the mandible or tympanoperiotic characters. As other stem delphinidans the Caujarao odontocete displays an enlarged temporal fossa and a fairly symmetrical cranium. Because the skull is missing several key diagnostic characters due to the preservation state of the specimen, a more precise taxonomic identification is not possible. Despite this, the finding of this specimen highlights the importance of the fossil record from the Neogene of Venezuela, and the importance of the area to understand cetacean evolution in the proto-Caribbean.
Bakhan Ahmad Hama Amin, Nasrin Ali Akbari, Erfan Rajabi
Abstract In Iran, as well as in Iraqi Kurdistan, the critique of literary texts using ‘literary theories’ has grown in recent years. The present study investigates published articles in ‘Literary Criticism’ and ‘Sulaimaniyah University’ journals. The research method in this article is criticizing the critiques. The aim was to answer two questions: Why has this kind of critique and theory taken up so much volume? How have researchers applied this theory? The volume of the articles includes 188 Persian and 76 Kurdish articles. After discarding 46 Persian and 29 Kurdish articles in terms of the basic structure, the scope was reduced to 142 Persian and 47 Kurdish articles. After analyzing the articles, it was found that the theory of structuralism was used in 47 Persian articles (33.9%) and 15 Kurdish articles (33.09%). The theory had the largest share in the articles compared to the type of critique and other theories. An attempt has been made to apply the critique and theory of structuralism in these articles, to express the differences and correspondence of the type of attitude in Kurdish and Persian articles. The findings of the research are that in the published articles of both journals, this theory is not fully understood and they have a general view that can be one of the reasons for the great application of this theory in published articles. Looking at how this theory is used, it can be said that Kurdish researchers have dealt with this theory more superficially and most of the time there is no analysis of the type of structure in the text. Also, unlike Persian articles, theories such as structuralist mythology, paleontology, structuralist psychology, Bakhtin conversation logic, do not exist in Kurdish articles at all. Another point in the published articles of the two journals is the refusal of researchers to study the sources in the original language or the sources of the first degree of constructivism, which is directly related to the type of application and analysis of texts. Introduction The critique of literary texts using ‘literary theories’ has grown in recent years in Iran, as well as in Iraqi Kurdistan. This could be due to a kind of imitation of Europeans and a new definition of criticism, with the influence of Anglo-American cultural and social developments. Because in the West, since the beginning of the twentieth century, turning to literary theories has become very important and many books have been written about it. Every article or literary research needs theoretical support, and every researcher must use one or more literary critiques and theories to advance the work in order to maintain the scientific level of his / her research and its tastelessness. Literary Criticism Journal is one of the most popular journals in the field of academic literary criticism, which was launched in 2008 and soon became a base for many critics in the field of criticism and theory. Sulaimaniyah University Journal is one of the most prestigious academic journals. Therefore, the present study investigates published articles in ‘Literary Criticism’ and ‘Sulaimaniyah University’ journals. Research Method (Metacriticism, Criticizing Criticisms) To achieve the purpose of the study, in addition to using Cochran's formula for the statistical analysis, metacriticism was used. In this regard different and close words and terms have been used, such as critiques of criticisms, reading of readings, etc. Metacriticism goes beyond literary criticism and criticizes ideas, rules, and methods of critiques together. In other words, it is a way of generally looking at criticism. Studying the critical discourse of Metacriticism can help to perpetuate the interlocution and dialogue between different critics. Results 3.1. Data Analysis to Investigate the Amount of Using the Structuralist Theory in The Two Journals To answer the first research question of the study, after analyzing the articles, it was found that the theory of structuralism was used in 47 Persian articles (33.9%) and 15 Kurdish articles (33.09%). The theory had the largest share in the articles compared to the type of critique and other theories. An attempt has been made to apply the critique and theory of structuralism in these articles, to express the differences and correspondence of the type of attitude in Kurdish and Persian articles. 3.2. Data Analysis to Answer the Question of How to Apply the Structuralist Theory in The Two Journals With respect to the second research question of the present study, the authors studied the published articles based on different genres to find out the amount and the application of this theory. The following themes were observed in 142 Persian and 47 Kurdish articles. A: Classic poetry B: Contemporary poetry articles C: Articles that are about classical prose/fiction texts D: Articles that are written about contemporary or modern prose texts/stories E: Articles that are written about a film F: Articles that are about critical texts or critiques of criticism and theory G: Articles that are about different theories of structuralism with no specific textual analysis. Conclusions The findings of the present study showed that in the articles of both journals, this theory is not fully understood and they have a general view that can be one of the reasons for the great application of this theory in published articles. Considering how the structuralism theory is used, it can be said that Kurdish researchers have dealt with this theory more superficially and most of the time there is no analysis of the type of structure in the text. Also, unlike Persian articles, theories such as structuralist mythology, paleontology, structuralist psychology, Bakhtin conversation logic, do not exist in Kurdish articles at all. Another point in the published articles of the two journals is the refusal of researchers to study the sources in the original language or the sources of the first degree of constructivism, which is directly related to the type of application and analysis of texts.
Language and Literature, Indo-Iranian languages and literature
Abstract The stable isotope (δ13C, δ18O) composition of a collection of Lower Jurassic brachiopods and oysters from the Andean Basin of northern Chile was analyzed. The results allow the first reconstruction of absolute water temperatures for several ammonite zones in the Lower Jurassic of South America. The temperature record starts with comparatively high values in the Late Sinemurian (average: 27.0 °C; Raricostatum Zone). Just before the Sinemurian–Pliensbachian transition, temperatures dropped to an average of 24.3 °C. The lowest temperature value in the dataset was recorded for a brachiopod shell of the latest Pliensbachian Spinatum Zone (19.6 °C). No data are available for the Early Toarcian, but results for the late Toarcian show again comparatively warm conditions (average: 24.4 °C; Thouarsense–Levesquei zones). Even though more material and analyses are necessary to corroborate the recorded temperatures, the present dataset seems to indicate the global nature of the Late Pliensbachian Cooling Event. In contrast, the global warming during the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event has not been recorded due to a lack of Early Toarcian material. The δ13C record of brachiopods and oysters documents a gradual increase in values representing background conditions. Oyster shells were used for high-resolution stable isotope analyses and show seasonal temperature fluctuations over a period of around 3 years in the life time of the bivalves. If explained only by temperatures, the δ18O values point to a minimum estimate for the seasonality in the late Toarcian of slightly more than 3 °C.
ROSSANA MARTINI, LOUISETTE ZANINETTI, BENEDETTO ABATE
et al.
Nella parte nord-occidentale della Sicilia, la Formazione Mufara costituisce la base comune delle successioni appartenenti ai domini paleogeografici Panormide e Imerese. Questa formazione, costiruita da un'alternanza di marne gialle e di calcari marnosi, calcareniti e calciruditi, affiora in modo discontinuo in tutta la regione presa in esame. Inclusi nelle marne si osservano anche blocchi esotici di calcari grigi recifali d'affinità Panormide. Lo studio micropaleontologico (Conodonti, Palinomorfi) dei calcari marnosi e marne ha permesso di attribuire a questa successione un'età carnica (Tuvaliano, con esclusione del Tuvaliano terminale). L'analisi sedimentologica dei livelli calcarenitici e calciruditici, che contengono una microfauna a Foraminiferi d'età ladino-carnica e d'affinità Panormide, induce a ritenere un'origine torbiditica per le intercalazioni calcaree della Formazione Mufara ed anche ad attribuire un'età ante-norica all'individuazione della piattaforma Panormide.
Discoveries of new fossil Cenozoic crassatellines in Peru provide a new phylogenetic perspective on “large” Neogene genera, in which four lineages are considered to have arisen independently from different Paleogene Crassatella ancestors. Latest Oligocene and early Miocene species of the new genus Tilicrassatella gen. nov.―T. ponderosa, T. torrens sp. nov., and T. sanmartini sp. nov. from the East Pisco Basin―probably evolved from the late Eocene species, Crassatella rafaeli sp. nov., which itself differed in significant respects from slightly older species of the East Pisco Basin, C. neorhynchus and C. pedroi sp. nov. The paciphilic genus, Hybolophus, is raised to full generic status. Added to its ranks are the East Pisco Miocene species H. maleficae sp. nov., H. terrestris sp. nov., and the oldest species of the genus, the late Eocene or Oligocene H. disenum sp. nov. from the Talara Basin of northern Peru. Kalolophus gen. nov., encompassing circum-Caribbean fossil species, the extant species, K. speciosus, and the trans-isthmus species, K. antillarum, appears to have evolved from the early Oligocene Floridian species, Crassatella portelli sp. nov. The genus Marvacrassatella is a western Atlantic Miocene lineage most likely descended from Kalolophus. The genus Eucrassatella is restricted to Australian and New Zealand taxa. The Eocene New Zealand species, Spissatella media, is transferred to Eucrassatella and deemed a candidate for the most recent common ancestor of younger Eucrassatella and all Spissatella species. In the southern Pacific Ocean, the circum-Caribbean region, and tropical western America, crassatelline lineages developed one or more of the following characters: large resilifers, smooth ventral margins, and an extended left anterior cardinal tooth. Some of these late Paleogene convergent character changes might have countered increased shear forces exerted on the crassatelline valves while burrowing into finer-grained and more cohesive sediments in deeper or quieter water.
The geographic distributions, chronology, and phylogenetic relationships of derived iguanodontians describe a biogeographic history of active intercontinental dispersal, which is tested via comparison with eustatic sea level fluctuations. A revised phylogeny of derived iguanodontians does not support a monophyletic Iguanodontidae, and produces a lineage culminating Hadrosauridae that is first recorded in the early Late Cretaceous of both Asia and North America. This distribution suggests dispersal between Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous. Biogeographic hypotheses describing isolation of North America during the Early Cretaceous are not supported by sea level data. Dispersal patterns among Late Cretaceous taxa are corroborated by short term regressive phases in sea levels, but no distinction can be made between hypotheses of dispersal in both directions, and repeated immigration of Asian taxa into North America.
KEY WORDS. Cretaceous. Biogeography. Dispersal. Sea levels. Iguanodontia. Hadrosauridae.
<i>Globacrochordiceras transpacificum</i> gen. et sp. nov. is an ammonoid (Ammonoidea, Cephalopoda) with a shell characterized by plicate ribbing (rounded and undulating ribs strengthening on the venter without interruption), increasing involution through ontogeny, overhanging and deep umbilical wall, absence of tuberculation, subtriangular whorl section, globose adult shape with a closed umbilicus followed by an abrupt egressive coiling, and a subammonitic adult suture line. This new taxon occurs in Nevada (USA) and in Guangxi (South China). It has its typical occurrence within the <i>Neopopanoceras haugi</i> Zone of late Spathian age (Early Triassic). The plicate ribbing, suture line and general shell shape are diagnostic of the family Acrochordiceratidae. The large adult size, high degree of involution and subammonitic suture line of <i>Globacrochordiceras</i> markedly contrast with the next younger genus of the family (<i>Paracrochordiceras</i> of early Anisian age, Middle Triassic), which is evolute and displays a ceratitic suture shape. Shell coiling and suture line of <i>Globacrochordiceras</i> are closer to that of the youngest member of the family: <i>Acrochordiceras carolinae</i> (late middle Anisian). The latter is the end-member of a long-term morphological evolutionary trend of the family during the early and middle Anisian. This trend composed of classical increases in adult size (Cope's rule), shell involution and suture indentation, lasted ca. four Myr. The sudden morphological evolutionary jump between <i>Globacrochordiceras</i> and <i>Paracrochordiceras</i> at the Spathian/Anisian (Early/Middle Triassic) boundary may correspond to a generalized morphological reset of long-term trends, a process that differs from classic paedomorphic transformations. A dramatic global sea level change and carbon isotope positive excursion at the Early/Middle Triassic boundary both indicate stressful environmental changes that may have triggered this evolutionary jump.
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doi:<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/mmng.201300010" target="_blank">10.1002/mmng.201300010</a>