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Advances in South American Micropaleontology: Selected Papers of the 11th Argentine Paleontological Congress (Springer Earth System Sciences)
By Graciela Andrea Concheyro, Emiliana Bernasconi, Gabriela Catalina Cusminsky. 2019
This book offers many examples of calcareous microfossils and describes a new microfaunistic record in Argentina. These selected papers of…
the 11th Argentine Paleontological Congress include micropaleontological studies on material of different geological ages from several sites in Argentina and Colombia. The authors highlight several geological findings and explain the paleoenvironmental changes in Argentina and Colombia.Humans, Animals, and the Craft of Slaughter in Archaeo-Historic Societies
By Krish Seetah. 2019
In this book, Krish Seetah uses butchery as a point of departure for exploring the changing historical relationships between animal…
utility, symbolism, and meat consumption. Seetah brings together several bodies of literature - on meat, cut marks, craftspeople, and the role of craft in production - that have heretofore been considered in isolation from one another. Focusing on the activity inherent in butcher, he describes the history of knowledge that typifies the craft. He also provides anthropological and archaeological case studies which showcase examples of butchery practices in varied contexts that are seldom identified with zooarchaeological research. Situating the relationship between practice, practitioner, material and commodity, this imaginative study offers new insights into food production, consumption, and the craft of cuisine.Biosignatures for Astrobiology (Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics)
By Frances Westall, Barbara Cavalazzi. 2019
This book aims at providing a brief but broad overview of biosignatures. The topics addressed range from prebiotic signatures in…
extraterrestrial materials to the signatures characterising extant life as well as fossilised life, biosignatures related to space, and space flight instrumentation to detect biosignatures either in situ or from orbit. The book ends with philosophical reflections on the implications of life elsewhere. In the 15 chapters written by an interdisciplinary team of experts, it provides both detailed explanations on the nature of biosignatures as well as useful case studies showing how they are used and identified in ancient rocks, for example. One case study addresses the controversial finding of traces of fossil life in a meteorite from Mars. The book will be of interest not only to astrobiologists but also to terrestrial paleontologists as well as any reader interested in the prospects of finding a second example of life on another planet.Digital Technology for Forensic Footwear Analysis and Vertebrate Ichnology
By Matthew Bennett, Marcin Budka. 2019
“There is no branch of detective science which is so important and so much neglected as the art of tracing…
footsteps. Happily, I have always laid great stress upon it, and much practice has made it second nature to me.” Sherlock Holmes, Study of Scarlet.Despite the fictional nature of Sherlock Holmes this statement rings true today. The study of footwear is neglected in modern forensic practice and does have much to offer. What it needs is an injection of technology and modern analytical tools. These tools are emerging from the digital revolution currently transforming vertebrate ichnology. Ichnology is the discipline of earth science which focuses on the study of trace fossils such as footprints. This book draws upon both disciplines - geology (ichnology) and forensic science - to show how the two have much to learn from each other especially with regard to the digital capture and analysis of footprints. This book presents field and laboratory methods associated with the collection, analysis and presentation of three-dimensional tracks (footprints) whether from a crime scene or a geological/archaeological excavation. It shows students, researchers and practitioners how to collect and analyse 3D data and take advantage of the digital revolution transforming ichnology. This book is not only essential reading for forensic and earth science students but also for professional forensic practitioners as well as for applied computer scientists developing new tools for visualization and analysis of 3D data. The book forms a natural methods focused complement to the successful text Fossilised Locomotion published by Springer 2014.Deep Time Analysis: A Coherent View Of The History Of Life (Springer Geology Ser.)
By Mark A S McMenamin. 2018
Using a series of case studies, the book demonstrates the power of dynamic analysis as applied to the fossil record.…
The book considers how we think about certain types of paleontological questions and shows how to answer them. The analytical tools presented here will have wide application to other fields of knowledge; as such the book represents a major contribution to the deployment of modern scientific method as it builds on author's previous book, Dynamic Paleontology. Students and seasoned professionals alike will find this book to be of great utility for refining their approach to their ongoing and future research projects.How can the tracks of dinosaurs best be interpreted and used to reconstruct them? In many Mesozoic sedimentary rock formations,…
fossilized footprints of bipedal, three-toed (tridactyl) dinosaurs are preserved in huge numbers, often with few or no skeletons. Such tracks sometimes provide the only clues to the former presence of dinosaurs, but their interpretation can be challenging: How different in size and shape can footprints be and yet have been made by the same kind of dinosaur? How similar can they be and yet have been made by different kinds of dinosaurs? To what extent can tridactyl dinosaur footprints serve as proxies for the biodiversity of their makers? Profusely illustrated and meticulously researched, Noah’s Ravens quantitatively explores a variety of approaches to interpreting the tracks, carefully examining within-species and across-species variability in foot and footprint shape in nonavian dinosaurs and their close living relatives. The results help decipher one of the world’s most important assemblages of fossil dinosaur tracks, found in sedimentary rocks deposited in ancient rift valleys of eastern North America. Those often beautifully preserved tracks were among the first studied by paleontologists, and they were initially interpreted as having been made by big birds—one of which was jokingly identified as Noah’s legendary raven.Orthogenesis versus Darwinism
By Igor Popov. 2018
This book reviews the convoluted history of orthogenesis with an emphasis of non-English sources, untangles relationships between various concepts of…
directed evolution and argues whether orthogenesis has something to offer modern biology. Darwinism claims that evolution occurs by selection from an extensive random variability. An alternative viewpoint—that the material for variability is limited and organisms are predisposed to vary in certain directions—is the essence of evolutionary concepts that can be grouped together under the name of orthogenesis. Dating back to Lamarck, orthogenesis has existed in many guises. Branded as mystical and discarded as unscientific, it keeps re-emerging in evolutionary discussions.Dinosaurs - The Grand Tour: Everything Worth Knowing About Dinosaurs from Aardonyx to Zuniceratops
By Jack Horner, Keiron Pim. 2013
From Aardonyx to Zuniceratops A Dino-Mite Gathering of All the Dinosaurs More Than 300 Worth…
Knowing About We live in a golden age of paleontological discovery the perfect time to dig in to the spectacular world of dinosaurs From Aardonyx a lumbering beast that formed a link between two and four-legged dinosaurs to Zuniceratops who boasted a deadly pair of horns Dinosaurs The Grand Tour details everything worth knowing about every important dinosaur that scientists know about more than 300 in all In Dinosaurs you ll learn all the gory details about geology anatomy evolution astronomy and even Native American and Chinese mythology Stories of harrowing paleontological expeditions conjure the thrills of history s most famous dinosaur hunters Highlights of recent research reveal what s going on in the world of dinosaurs today including scientists recent discovery of pigments embedded in dinosaur fossils that shed light for the first time on dinosaurs true coloration Illustrations on virtually every page bring these prehistoric creatures to life in all their razor-sharp long-necked spiny scaly glory And for readers inspired to test their dino-expertise in the field renowned paleontologist Jack Horner s field notes will help enthusiasts set out on their own expeditions Track down dinosaur footprints at Horner s recommended sites head out on a cross-country dinosaur road trip using Horner s list of top North American dinosaurs as your map and learn what it s like to be a leading paleontologist who s been part of some of the most sensational dinosaur discoveries ever and how you can get involved tooThe Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa and Beyond (Vertebrate Paleobiology And Paleoanthropology Ser.)
By Rosalia Gallotti, Margherita Mussi. 2018
This edited volume presents current archaeological research and data from the major early Acheulean sites in East Africa, and addresses…
three main areas of focus; 1) the tempo and mode of technological changes that led to the emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa; 2) new approaches to lithic collections, including lithic technology analyses; and 3) the debated coexistence of the Developed Oldowan and the early Acheulean. The chapters are the proceedings from the workshop titled “The Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa”, held at University of Rome “La Sapienza” on September 12–13, 2013. The aim of the workshop was to bring together researchers currently working in this field in East Africa, in order to define the characteristics and the evolution of the early Acheulean. The volume was expanded with some chapters on the preceding Oldowan, on the African fauna and on paleovegetation, on the Acheulean in Asia and, eventually, on the Acheulean in Europe. The book is addressed to the scientific community, and will be of interest to researchers, graduate students, archaeologists, paleontologists, and paleoanthropologists. This volume is dedicated to the memory of Jean Chavaillon (March 25, 1925 - December 21, 2013), the leading archaeologist and Quaternary geologist who researched with unfailing enthusiasm the earliest human cultures and directed from 1965 to 1995 the French Archaeological Mission at Melka Kunture.This edited volume presents current archaeological research and data from the major early Acheulean sites in East Africa and…
addresses three main areas of focus 1 the tempo and mode of technological changes that led to the emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa 2 new approaches to lithic collections including lithic technology analyses and 3 the debated coexistence of the Developed Oldowan and the early Acheulean The chapters are the proceedings from the workshop titled The Emergence of the Acheulean in East Africa held at University of Rome La Sapienza on September 12 13 2013 The aim of the workshop was to bring together researchers currently working in this field in East Africa in order to define the characteristics and the evolution of the early Acheulean The volume was expanded with some chapters on the preceding Oldowan on the African fauna and on paleovegetation on the Acheulean in Asia and eventually on the Acheulean in Europe The book is addressed to the scientific community and will be of interest to researchers graduate students archaeologists paleontologists and paleoanthropologists This volume is dedicated to the memory of Jean Chavaillon March 25 1925 - December 21 2013 the leading archaeologist and Quaternary geologist who researched with unfailing enthusiasm the earliest human cultures and directed from 1965 to 1995 the French Archaeological Mission at Melka KuntureOn the basis of thermodynamic considerations and the Earth s historical processes this book argues the physical…
inevitability of life s generation and evolution i e Why did life generate Why does life evolve Following an introduction to the problem the hypothesis Darwinian Evolution of Molecules is proposed which explains how when and where life was instigated through successive chemical reactions and the survival of selected molecules The individual processes described are all scientifically reasonable being verifiable by experiment The hypothesis is supported by extensive reference to the scientific literature published in academic journals including some experimental reports from the author s own research group The readers of this book will learn that the decreasing temperature of the early Earth led to a reduction in its entropy inducing the Earth s materials to order which entailed ordering of the light elements as organic molecules with subsequent further ordering i e evolution to systems that can be considered alive i e life Researchers and students as well as the non-academic audience interested in the interdisciplinary problem of the origin of life will find suggestions and possible approaches to the scientific and conceptual problems they may be facingFossil Horses of South America
By José Luis Prado, María Teresa Alberdi. 2017
This book provides an update on the phylogeny, systematics and ecology of horses in South America based on data provided…
over the past three decades. The contemporary South American mammalian communities were shaped by the emergence of the Isthmus of Panama and by the profound climatic oscillations during the Pleistocene. Horses were a conspicuous group of immigrant mammals from North America that arrived in South America during the Pleistocene. This group is represented by 2 genera, Hippidion and Equus, which include small species (Hippidion devillei, H. saldiasi, E. andium and E. insulatus) and large forms (Equus neogeus and H. principale). Both groups arrived in South America via 2 different routes. One model designed to explain this migration indicates that the small forms used the Andes corridor, while larger horses used the eastern route and arrived through some coastal areas. Molecular dating (ancient DNA) suggests that the South American horses separated from the North American taxa (caballines and the New World stilt-legged horse) after 3.6 - 3.2 Ma, consistent with the final formation of the Panamanian Isthmus. Recent studies of stable isotopes in these horses indicate an extensive range of 13C values cover closed woodlands to C4 grasslands. This plasticity agrees with the hypothesis that generalist species and open biome specialist species from North America indicate a positive migration through South America.Applications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies (Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research #Volume 20)
By Kaarina Weckström, Krystyna M. Saunders, Peter A. Gell, C. Gregory Skilbeck. 2017
The aim of this edited volume is to introduce the scientific community to paleoenvironmental studies of estuaries to highlight…
the types of information that can be obtained from such studies and to promote the use of paleoenvironmental studies in estuarine management P P Readers will learn about the the application of different paleoecological approaches used in estuaries that develop our understanding of their response to natural and human influences Particular attention is given to the essential steps required for undertaking a paleoecological study in particular with regard to site selection core extraction and chronological techniques followed by the range of indicators that can be used A series of case studies are discussed in the book to demonstrate how paleoecological studies can be used to address key questions and to sustainably manage these important coastal environments in the future This book will appeal to professional scientists interested in estuarine studies and or paleoenvironmental research as well as estuarine managers who are interested in the incorporation of paleoenvironmental research into their management programsBiogeography of the Quaternary Molluscs of the Southwestern Atlantic Ocean (SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences)
By Sergio Martínez, Claudia J. del Río, Alejandra Rojas. 2012
The Quaternary comprises a brief time in the Earth s history and apart from a few exceptions molluscan…
assemblages recovered from exposures along the coast of Southwestern South America Southern Brazil Uruguay Argentina are essentially the same than those that inhabit the region today leading to the assumption that no important change in the distribution of the faunas since Pleistocene times has occurred However the good taxonomic and temporal resolution reached in the last years allowed us to detect some biogeographic changes although traditional biogeographic units remain the same i e Magellanic and Argentinean Provinces These modifications involve mainly variations in the taxonomic composition of the assemblages and in the southern boundaries of some species distributions extralimital species today retracted northwards These changes are related to southward shifts of the warm waters of the Brazilian Current correlated with global warm peaks This phenomenon was more intense in the Late Pleistocene MIS 5e and in the Holocene between ca 6500-3500 14C yrAlthough consensus exists among researchers that birds evolved from coelurosaurian theropods paleontologists still debate the identification of the group…
of coelurosaurians that most closely approaches the common ancestor of birds The last 20 years witnessed the discovery of a wide array of avian-like theropods that has considerably amplified the anatomical disparity among deinonychosaurians some of which resemble Archaeopteryx more than Deinonychus Among these newly discovered theropods that show remarkable bird-like characteristics are the four-winged theropods Microraptor and Anchiornis and the unenlagiids Unenlagia Buitreraptor and Rahonavis A bizarre group of minute-sized coelurosaurs the Scansoriopterygidae also exhibits some avian similarities that lead some authors to interpret them as more closely related to birds than other dinosaurs With the aim to explore the phylogenetic relationships of these coelurosaurians and birds we merged recently published integrative databases resulting in significant changes in the topological distribution of taxa within Paraves We present evidence that Dromaeosauridae Microraptoria Unenlagiidae and Anchiornis Xiaotingia form successive sister taxa of Aves and that the Scansoriopterygidae are basal coelurosaurians not closely related to birds The implications in the evolutionary sequence of anatomical characters leading to birds including the origin of flight are also considered in light of this new phylogenetic hypothesisApplications of Paleoenvironmental Techniques in Estuarine Studies (Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research #Volume 20)
By Kaarina Weckstr m, Krystyna Saunders, Peter Gell, C Skilbeck. 2017
The aim of this edited volume is to introduce the scientific community to paleoenvironmental studies of estuaries, to highlight the…
types of information that can be obtained from such studies, and to promote the use of paleoenvironmental studies in estuarine management. Readers will learn about the the application of different paleoecological approaches used in estuaries that develop our understanding of their response to natural and human influences. Particular attention is given to the essential steps required for undertaking a paleoecological study, in particular with regard to site selection, core extraction and chronological techniques, followed by the range of indicators that can be used. A series of case studies are discussed in the book to demonstrate how paleoecological studies can be used to address key questions, and to sustainably manage these important coastal environments in the future. This book will appeal to professional scientists interested in estuarine studies and/or paleoenvironmental research, as well as estuarine managers who are interested in the incorporation of paleoenvironmental research into their management programs.A Brief History of South American Metatherians: Evolutionary Contexts and Intercontinental Dispersals (Springer Earth System Sciences)
By Michael Woodburne, Francisco Goin, Ana Zimicz, Gabriel Martin, Laura Chornogubsky. 2016
This book summarizes major aspects of the evolution of South American metatherians, including their epistemologic, phylogenetic, biogeographic, faunal, tectonic, paleoclimatic,…
and metabolic contexts. A brief overview of the evolution of each major South American lineage ("Ameridelphia", Sparassodonta, Didelphimorphia, Paucituberculata, Microbiotheria, and Polydolopimorphia) is provided. It is argued that due to physiological constraints, metatherian evolution closely followed the conditions imposed by global temperatures. In general terms, during the Paleocene and the early Eocene multiple radiations of metatherian lineages occurred, with many adaptive types exploiting insectivorous, frugivorous, and omnivorous adaptive zones. In turn, a mixture of generalized and specialized types, the latter mainly exploiting carnivorous and granivorous-folivorous adaptive zones, characterized the second half of the Cenozoic. In both periods, climate was the critical driver of their radiation and turnovers.A Brief History of South American Metatherians: Evolutionary Contexts and Intercontinental Dispersals (Springer Earth System Sciences)
By Michael O. Woodburne, Francisco J. Goin, Ana Natalia Zimicz, Gabriel M. Martin, Laura Chornogubsky. 2016
This book summarizes major aspects of the evolution of South American metatherians, including their epistemologic, phylogenetic, biogeographic, faunal, tectonic, paleoclimatic,…
and metabolic contexts. A brief overview of the evolution of each major South American lineage ("Ameridelphia", Sparassodonta, Didelphimorphia, Paucituberculata, Microbiotheria, and Polydolopimorphia) is provided. It is argued that due to physiological constraints, metatherian evolution closely followed the conditions imposed by global temperatures. In general terms, during the Paleocene and the early Eocene multiple radiations of metatherian lineages occurred, with many adaptive types exploiting insectivorous, frugivorous, and omnivorous adaptive zones. In turn, a mixture of generalized and specialized types, the latter mainly exploiting carnivorous and granivorous-folivorous adaptive zones, characterized the second half of the Cenozoic. In both periods, climate was the critical driver of their radiation and turnovers.A Brief History of South American Metatherians: Evolutionary Contexts and Intercontinental Dispersals (Springer Earth System Sciences)
By Michael Woodburne, Francisco Goin, Ana Zimicz, Gabriel Martin, Laura Chornogubsky. 2016
This book summarizes major aspects of the evolution of South American metatherians, including their epistemologic, phylogenetic, biogeographic, faunal, tectonic, paleoclimatic,…
and metabolic contexts. A brief overview of the evolution of each major South American lineage ("Ameridelphia", Sparassodonta, Didelphimorphia, Paucituberculata, Microbiotheria, and Polydolopimorphia) is provided. It is argued that due to physiological constraints, metatherian evolution closely followed the conditions imposed by global temperatures. In general terms, during the Paleocene and the early Eocene multiple radiations of metatherian lineages occurred, with many adaptive types exploiting insectivorous, frugivorous, and omnivorous adaptive zones. In turn, a mixture of generalized and specialized types, the latter mainly exploiting carnivorous and granivorous-folivorous adaptive zones, characterized the second half of the Cenozoic. In both periods, climate was the critical driver of their radiation and turnovers.A Brief History of South American Metatherians: Evolutionary Contexts and Intercontinental Dispersals (Springer Earth System Sciences)
By Michael Woodburne, Francisco Goin, Ana Zimicz, Gabriel Martin, Laura Chornogubsky. 2016
This book summarizes major aspects of the evolution of South American metatherians, including their epistemologic, phylogenetic, biogeographic, faunal, tectonic, paleoclimatic,…
and metabolic contexts. A brief overview of the evolution of each major South American lineage ("Ameridelphia", Sparassodonta, Didelphimorphia, Paucituberculata, Microbiotheria, and Polydolopimorphia) is provided. It is argued that due to physiological constraints, metatherian evolution closely followed the conditions imposed by global temperatures. In general terms, during the Paleocene and the early Eocene multiple radiations of metatherian lineages occurred, with many adaptive types exploiting insectivorous, frugivorous, and omnivorous adaptive zones. In turn, a mixture of generalized and specialized types, the latter mainly exploiting carnivorous and granivorous-folivorous adaptive zones, characterized the second half of the Cenozoic. In both periods, climate was the critical driver of their radiation and turnovers.