Drill holes made by predators in prey shells are widely considered to be the most unambiguous bodies of evidence of predator-prey interactions in the fossil record. However, recognition of traces of predatory origin from those formed by abiotic factors still waits for a rigorous evaluation as a prerequisite to ascertain predation intensity through geologic time […]
Posts Tagged ‘Russel T Sajeev’
Drill Holes and Predation Traces versus Abrasion-Induced Artifacts Revealed by Tumbling Experiments
November 24th, 2013 
Riffin Dinosaur Diary : Utahraptor
November 23rd, 2013 Riffin Name: Utahraptor ostrommaysorum (Pronunciation: YOU-tah-WRAP-tore ah-STROM-ay-SORE-um) Age: Early Cretaceous (~125 million years ago) Where It’s Found in Utah: Dalton Wells Quarry and Gaston Quarry, near Moab, Grand County, Utah. Geologic Formation: Cedar Mountain Formation (Yellow Cat Member) Classification: Saurischia – Theropoda – Coelurosauria – Dromaeosauridae Description: Utahraptor ostrommaysorum is one of the geologically oldest and […]
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Tags: Riffin T Sajeev, Russel T Sajeev, Utahraptor, WFS, world fossil society 
No Comments »CT and 3-D Printers Used to Recreate Dinosaur Fossils
November 21st, 2013 Riffin Data from computed tomography (CT) scans can be used with three-dimensional (3-D) printers to make accurate copies of fossilized bones, according to new research published online in the journal Radiology. Fossils are often stored in plaster casts, or jackets, to protect them from damage. Getting information about a fossil typically requires the removal of the […]
Newly Discovered Protist Suggests Evolutionary Answers, Questions
November 20th, 2013 Riffin From Massachusetts to Mississippi, a unicellular protist is hinting at answers about the evolution of multicellularity while raising a whole new set of questions. Matthew Brown, assistant professor of biological sciences at Mississippi State University, recently led a research team that identified the protist as a new organism and classified its genomics. Obazoa is the […]
Amber Provides New Insights Into the Evolution of Earth’s Atmosphere: Low Oxygen Levels for Dinosaurs
November 19th, 2013 Riffin An international team of researchers led by Ralf Tappert, University of Innsbruck, reconstructed the composition of Earth’s atmosphere of the last 220 million years by analyzing modern and fossil plant resins. The results suggest that atmospheric oxygen was considerably lower in Earth’s geological past than previously assumed. This new study questions some of the current […]
Fossil of New Big Cat Species Discovered: Oldest Ever Found
November 18th, 2013 Riffin The oldest big cat fossil ever found — which fills in a significant gap in the fossil record — was discovered on a paleontological dig in Tibet, scientists announced today. A skull from the new species, named Panthera blytheae, was excavated and described by a team led by Jack Tseng — a PhD student at […]
Rutile Mineral Can Reveal the History of a Rock
November 17th, 2013 Riffin Researchers can use the mineral rutile to learn about rock types and their history. Two articles published in the journal Geology now present a new application of a method for more easily tracing the mineral rutile. The co-authors of the articles are researchers at the University of Gothenburg. Rutile is used in ceramics and paints, […]
Biomechanics of Running Indicates Endothermy in Bipedal Dinosaurs
November 16th, 2013 riffin One of the great unresolved controversies in paleobiology is whether extinct dinosaurs were endothermic, ectothermic, or some combination thereof, and when endothermy first evolved in the lineage leading to birds. Although it is well established that high, sustained growth rates and, presumably, high activity levels are ancestral for dinosaurs and pterosaurs (clade Ornithodira), other independent […]
Dogs Likely Originated in Europe More Than 18,000 Years Ago, Biologists Report
November 15th, 2013 Riffin Wolves likely were domesticated by European hunter-gatherers more than 18,000 years ago and gradually evolved into dogs that became household pets, UCLA life scientists report. “We found that instead of recent wolves being closest to domestic dogs, ancient European wolves were directly related to them,” said Robert Wayne, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology […]
Posted in Featured Post Tags: Ancient dog, Riffin T Sajeev, Russel T Sajeev, WFS, world fossil society No Comments »Evidence of 3.5-Billion-Year-Old Bacterial Ecosystems Found in Australia
November 13th, 2013 riffin Reconstructing the rise of life during the period of Earth’s history when it first evolved is challenging. Earth’s oldest sedimentary rocks are not only rare, but also almost always altered by hydrothermal and tectonic activity. A new study from a team including Carnegie’s Nora Noffke, a visiting investigator, and Robert Hazen revealed the well-preserved remnants […]
