Unifying Model for the Fossilization of Soft-Bodied Organisms

Unifying Model for the Fossilization of Soft-Bodied Organisms

550-million-year-old fossils provide new clues
about fossil formation. PhysOrg, Dec. 18, 2104
http://phys.org/news/2014-12-million-year-old-fossils-clues-fossil-formation.html
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141218120844.htm

550 Million Year Old Fossils Provide New
Clues about Fossil Formation by Fran Webber
MU News Bureau, December 17, 2014
http://research.missouri.edu/news/story.php?476

The paper is;

Schiffbauer, J. D., s. Xiao, Y. Cai, A. F.
Wallace, H. Hua, J. Hunter, H. Xu, Y. Peng,
and A. J. Kaufman, 2014, A unifying model
for Neoproterozoic–Palaeozoic exceptional
fossil preservation through pyritization and
carbonaceous compression. Nature
Communications. vol. 5, article number:
5754, doi:10.1038/ncomms6754
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/141217/ncomms6754/abs/ncomms6754.html

A related article is:

Soft Fossils: A rare fossil find offers a window
into Cambrian life, University of Missouri
http://illumination.missouri.edu/s14/soft_fossils

Yours,

Paul H.

K/Pg Extinction Might Have Almost Killed Off Mammals Also

K/Pg Extinction Might Have Almost Killed Off Mammals Also

Asteroid that wiped out dinosaurs may have nearly
knocked off mammals, too, Pensoft Publishers,
Science Daily December 17, 2014
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141217101314.htm
http://www.pensoft.net/news.php?n=451&SESID=3b8ec3935301d193da5982b1c3e69685

Williamson, T. E., S. L. Brusatte, and G. P. Wilson,
2014, The origin and early evolution of metatherian
mammals: the Cretaceous record. ZooKeys. vol. 465,
pp. 1-76. DOI: 10.3897/zookeys.465.8178
http://zookeys.pensoft.net/articles.php?id=4342

Yours,

Paul H.

Mastodons Disappeared from Beringia Before Human Colonization

Mastodons Disappeared from Beringia Before Human Colonization

Mastodons Disappeared from Beringia before
Ancient Humans Arrived by Sci-News.com
http://www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-mastodons-beringia-ancient-humans-02311.html

Missing the Mastodon by Brian Switek
National Geographic, December 9, 2014
http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/09/missing-the-mastodon/

Mastodon fossils in Alaska and Yukon suggest
local extinction long before human colonization
Science Daily, December 1, 2014
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141201163231.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-12/amon-amm112614.php

The paper is:

Zazula, G., R. MacPhee, J. Metcalfe, A. Reyes,
F. Brock, P. Druckenmiller, P. Groves, C.
Harington, G. Hodgins, M. Kunz, F. Longstaffe,
D. Mann, H. McDonald, S. Nalawade-Chavan, and
J. Southon, 2014, American mastodon extirpation
in the Arctic and Subarctic predates human
colonization and terminal Pleistocene climate
change. PNAS. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1416072111
Abstract at http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2014/11/25/1416072111
PDF file at http://www.tc.gov.yk.ca/publications/PNAS-2014-Zazula-1416072111.pdf

Yours,

Paul H

New U-Pb Dates Tie Deccan Traps to Dinosaur Extinction

New U-Pb Dates Tie Deccan Traps to Dinosaur Extinction

New Dates Tie Volcanic Flood to Dinosaur Extinction
by Becky Oskin, Live Science, December 11, 2014
http://www.livescience.com/49097-lava-flows-led-dinosaur-extinction.html

Did a Massive Volcanic Eruption in India kill off the
Dinosaurs? by Joel Achenbush, Washington Post,
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/12/11/did-a-massive-volcanic-eruption-in-india-kill-off-the-dinosaurs/

The paper is:
Schoene, B., K. M. Samperton, M. P. Eddy, G.
Keller, T. Adatte, S. A. Bowring, S. F. R. Khadri
and B. Gertsch, 2014, U-Pb geochronology of the
Deccan Traps and relation to the end-Cretaceous
mass extinction. Science (advance online publication)
DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa0118
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2014/12/10/science.aaa0118

A commentarty is:
Stone, R., 2014, The once-moribund idea that
volcanism helped kill off the dinosaurs gains new
credibility. Science. vol. 346, no. 6215, pp. 1281-1283
DOI: 10.1126/science.346.6215.1281
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/346/6215/1281.summary

Yours,

Paul H.

Fake Web Sites Are Involved In Impersonating Scientific Journals

Fake Web Sites Are Involved In Impersonating Scientific Journals

Cyber criminals are stealing the identity of reputable
science journals by creating fake web sites and using
them to collect author fees, These fees disappear to
Armenia and other countries. They most commonly
target journals that lack dedicated websites of their
own. In some cases, such websites have collected
author fees of up to 500 dollars from authors for a
paper that never gets published.

Go see:

You think this journal is real? Science Guide
http://www.scienceguide.nl/201303/you-think-this-journal-is-real.aspx

Archives des Sciences Warning
http://www.unige.ch/sphn/Publications/ArchivesSciences/Archives.html

Paleonet: "fake" journals
http://mailman.nhm.ac.uk/archives/paleonet/2006/2014-December/003408.html
http://mailman.nhm.ac.uk/archives/paleonet/2006/2014-December/date.html

Yours,

Paul H.

States Ban the Sale or Tade of Mammoth Ivory Tusks and Teeth

States Ban the Sale or Tade of Mammoth Ivory Tusks and Teeth

In June, the sale of all antique elephant ivory
and fossil mammoth ivory has been banned
in New York and New Jersey. For some reason
teeth are also included.

States Ban the sale or trade of Mammoth
Ivory Tusks and Teeth. AAPS, Association
of Applied Paleontological Sciences
http://aaps.net/fossil-ivory-ban.html

New York Passes Law Banning Sale of
Elephant & Mammoth Ivory, Jewels du Jour
http://www.jewelsdujour.com/2014/06/new-york-passes-law-banning-sale-of-elephant-mammoth-ivory/

A related web page is:

Elephant versus mammoth ivory
http://www.fws.gov/lab/ivory_natural.php#elephant

Yours,

Paul H.

Detained at LAX for Esquel Meteorite From Argentina

Detained at LAX for Esquel Meteorite From Argentina

In "Re: [meteorite-list] Detained at LAX for Esquel"
( http://www.mail-archive.com/meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com/msg119796.html )
and on Dec. 11, 2014, J Sinclair wrote:

"Fossils have been a recent focus too. Some are
being charged with smuggling and landing in
jail because of current laws."

In June, the sale of all antique elephant ivory
and fossil mammoth ivory has been banned
in New York and New Jersey. For some reason
teeth are also included.

States Ban the sale or trade of Mammoth
Ivory Tusks and Teeth. AAPS, Association
of Applied Paleontological Sciences
http://aaps.net/fossil-ivory-ban.html

New York Passes Law Banning Sale of
Elephant & Mammoth Ivory, Jewels du Jour
http://www.jewelsdujour.com/2014/06/new-york-passes-law-banning-sale-of-elephant-mammoth-ivory/

A related web page is:

Elephant versus mammoth ivory
http://www.fws.gov/lab/ivory_natural.php#elephant

Yours,

Paul H.

Nature makes all articles free to view

Nature makes all articles free to view

Nature makes all articles free to view (Publisher
permits subscribers and media to share read-only
versions of its papers by Richard Van Noorden
Nature.com, 02 December 2014
http://www.nature.com/news/nature-makes-all-articles-free-to-view-1.16460

A New Way to Share Articles—and Help
Advance Science by Mariette DiChristina
Scientific Amwerican, December 1, 2014 |
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/at-scientific-american/2014/12/01/a-new-way-to-share-articlesand-help-advance-science/

Yours,

Paul H.

Another Crinoid Stem Mistaken For Paleozoic High Technology

Another Crinoid Stem Mistaken For Paleozoic High Technology

Another fossil crinoid stem, in this case an off-center
cross-section of a crinoid stem columnal, has been
mistaken / misrepresented as Paleozoic prehistoric
ancient technology (Ooparts). For the lurid and
rather funny spectacle of people getting excited
over a fragment of a fossil crinoid stem, go read,
using Google Translate or Google Chrome:

НАУЧНАЯ СЕНСАЦИЯ: УЧЕНЫЕ ДОКАЗАЛИ
СУЩЕСТВОВАНИЕ ДРУГОЙ ЦИВИЛИЗАЦИИ
НА ЗЕМЛЕ (Scientific Sensation: Scientists Have
Proved the Existence of Other Civilization on
Earth) МИР НОВОСТЕЙ, ВСЕ ПРАВА ЗАЩИЩЕНЫ
http://mirnov.ru/lenta-novostej/nauchnaja-sensacija-uchenye-dokazali-suschestvovanie-drugoi-civilizacii-na-zemle.html

https://web.archive.org/save/http://mirnov.ru/lenta-novostej/nauchnaja-sensacija-uchenye-dokazali-suschestvovanie-drugoi-civilizacii-na-zemle.html

Ученые обнаружили камень с микрочипом,
которому 250 миллионов лет (Scientists have
discovered a stone with a microchip that 250
million years (Found in the Krasnodar region
stone with a microchip turned upside down
the world of science.) Courier-Media, Russsia.
http://www.kurier-media.ru/articles/55633/ and
https://web.archive.org/save/http://www.kurier-media.ru/articles/55633/

Venemaal leiti mikrokiipi meenutava objektiga
kivi, mille vanus on umbes 250 miljonit aastat
(In Russia found a stone with a microchip, which
is 250 million years old), Keelatud Arheoloogia
(Forbidden Archeology – Estonian)
http://artefaktidjafenomenid.blogspot.com/2014/11/venemaal-leiti-mikrokiibiga-kivi-mille.html and
https://web.archive.org/web/20141129145543/http://artefaktidjafenomenid.blogspot.com/2014/11/venemaal-leiti-mikrokiibiga-kivi-mille.html

For an English translation see Google Translate
or use Google Chrome. Google Translate is at
https://translate.google.com/?hl=en .

Fortunately, there are still some realistic and
rational people left in this world as seen in:

История армавирского камня с «микрочипом»
http://www.ufo-com.net/publications/art-7684-kamen-s-mikrochipom.html 

 and

https://web.archive.org/web/20141129051607/http://www.ufo-com.net/publications/art-7684-kamen-s-mikrochipom.html

For a previous case where people have gone off the
deep end in claiming That fossil crinoids are the
fossilized remains of ancient technology, go look
at “Fossil Russian Screws” - Practical Internet
Jokes Using Crinoid Fossils" at
http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/topic/37499-fossil-russian-screws-practical-internet-jokes-using-crinoid-fossils/

In this case, one of the pictures involved was taken
from Wikimedia, where it was clearly identified as
fossil crinoid columnals..

Yours,

Paul H.

Geology Humor

Geology Humor

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403212972862209571/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/403212972862209668/

Yours,

Paul H.

60 Years Ago, A Human Was Hit by a Meteorite in Alabama

60 Years Ago, A Human Was Hit by a Meteorite in Alabama

60 Years Ago Today, A Human Was Hit
by a Meteorite by Phil Plait, Slate Magazine,
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astronomy/2014/11/30/sylacauga_meteorite_60th_anniversary_of_a_human_hit_by_a_space_rock.html

Rhodri Marsden's Interesting Objects: The
Sylacauga meteorite by R. Marsden, The
Independent, November 28, 2014
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/rhodri-marsdens-interesting-objects-the-sylacauga-meteorite-9887893.html

UA marks anniversary of meteorite hitting
woman, Washington Times, Nov. 27, 2014‎
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/27/ua-marks-anniversary-of-meteorite-hitting-woman/

Other Sources

Hodges Meteorite Strike (Sylacauga Aerolite)
Encyclopedia of Alabma,
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1280

A star fell on Sylacauga '54 meteorite struck
home, woman, changed lives, Decatur Daily
http://archive.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/061130/meteorite.shtml

Yours,

Paul H.

How Scientometry is Killing Science (Open Access PDF Available)

How Scientometry is Killing Science (Open Access PDF Available)

This is a fine paper. I recommend reading it.

Celâl Şengör, A M., 2014, How scientometry is
killing science. GSA Today. vol. 24, no. 12, pp. 44-45.

PDF at
http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/24/12/pdf/i1052-5173-24-12-44.pdf

text at
http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/24/12/article/i1052-5173-24-12-44.htm

GSA Today - Vol. 24, Issue 12 - Table of Contents
http://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/24/12/

Yours,

Paul H.

Asteroid Impacts on Earth Make Structurally Bizarre Diamonds

Asteroid Impacts on Earth Make Structurally Bizarre Diamonds

Asteroid impacts on Earth make structurally
bizarre diamonds, Arizona State University,
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141124125607.htm
https://asunews.asu.edu/20141120-lonsdaleite

The paper is:

Nemeth, P., L. A. J. Garvie, T. Aoki, N.
Dubrovinskaia, L. Dubrovinsky, and P. R.
Buseck, 2014, Lonsdaleite is faulted and
twinned cubic diamond and does not
exist as a discrete material. Nature
Communications. vol. 5, article no. 5447
Published online, November 20, 2104
http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2014/141120/ncomms6447/full/ncomms6447.html

Yours,

Paul H.

9,000-Year-Old Bison Mummy Found in Siberia

9,000-Year-Old Bison Mummy Found in Siberia

9,000-Year-Old Bison Mummy Found Frozen in Time
by Elizabeth Palermo, Live Sceince, November 06, 2014
http://www.livescience.com/48653-bison-mummy-brains-organs.html

Photos: 9,000-Year-Old Bison Mummy Found in Siberia
by Elizabeth Palermo, Live Science, November 06, 2014
http://www.livescience.com/48645-bison-mummy-photos.html

Complete 9,000 Year-Old Frozen Bison Found in Siberia
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Novmber 2914
http://vertpaleo.org/The-Society/SVP---Paleo-News/Society-News-and-Events/Press-Release---Complete-9000-Year-Old-Frozen-Biso.aspx

Complete 9,000-year-old frozen bison mummy found
in Siberia, Science Daily, November 6, 2014
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141106113257.htm

Another recent bison fossil in Bison Bob in Alaska.

Rare Bison Discovered in Alaskan Permafrost
by Larry O'Hanlon, Discovery News, Nov. 5, 2014
http://news.discovery.com/adventure/rare-bison-discovered-in-alaskan-permafrost-130205.htm

Bison Bob a big discovery on the North Slope by Ned Rozell
Article #2152, Alaska Science Forum, January 24, 2013
http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AlaskaScienceForum/article/bison-bob-big-discovery-north-slope

Yours,

Paul H.

Glass Beach, MacKerricher State Park, Fort Bragg, California

Glass Beach, MacKerricher State Park, Fort Bragg, California

Amazing Glass Beach,MacKerricher State Park,
Fort Bragg, California, http://geekstroke.com/miscellaneous/amazing-glass-beach/

Fort Bragg Glass Beach, California Sea Glass
http://www.odysseyseaglass.com/fort-bragg-glass-beach.html

Glass Beach (Fort Bragg, California)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glass_Beach_

(Fort_Bragg,_California)

Yours,
Paul H.

Scientists Descend Into Siberia's Mystery Crater

Scientists Descend Into Siberia's Mystery Crater

Pictures: Explorers Descend Into Siberia's Mystery
Crater, National Geographic, November 14, 2104
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/11/pictures/141114-siberian-hole-cave-yamal-peninsula-science/

Descending into the depths of Siberia's mystery
crater: Experts explore 98ft-wide hole to learn
more about its origins. Mail Online, Nov. 12, 2104
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2831238/Descending-depths-Siberia-s-mystery-crater-Experts-explore-98ft-wide-hole-learn-origins.html

Russian research team explores giant Siberian
sinkhole, The Guardian, November 12, 2014
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/nov/12/research-climb-giant-siberian-sinkhole

Yours,

Paul H.

Diamonds Found in Sutter’s Mill Meteorite

Diamonds Found in Sutter’s Mill Meteorite

Diamonds found in meteorite that fell in Sierra
Gold Country (California) SFGate,Nov. 10, 2014
http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Diamonds-found-in-meteorite-that-fell-in-Sierra-5884457.php

Diamonds Found In El Dorado County Meteorite
CBS, Scaremento, California, Nov. 14, 2014
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2014/11/14/diamonds-found-in-el-dorado-county-meteorite/

Yours,

Paul H.

Meteorite Bears Evidence of Early Solar System Magnetic Fields

Meteorite Bears Evidence of Early Solar System Magnetic Fields

Meteorite Bears Evidence of Magnetic Fields in Early Solar System (New research shows
that magnetic fields played a role in the solar system's formation) by Charles Q. Choi, Inside
Science News Service, Scientific American
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/meteorite-bears-evidence-of-magnetic-fields-in-early-solar-system/

Magnetic fields frozen into meteorite grains tell a shocking tale of solar system birth
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141113142110.htm
https://asunews.asu.edu/20141113-magnetic-fields

The paper is:
Fu, R. R., B. P. Weiss, E. A. Lima, R. J.
Harrison, X.-N Bai, S. J. Desch, D. S. Ebel,
C. Suavet, H. Wang, D. Glenn, D. Le Sage,
T. Kasama, R. L. Walsworth, and A. T. Kuan,
2014, Solar nebula magnetic fields recorded
in the Semarkona meteorite. Science, 13
November 2014 DOI: 10.1126/science.1258022
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2014/11/12/science.1258022

Yours,

Paul H

Open Access Paper About Sudbury Impact (Ontario, Canada)

Open Access Paper About Sudbury Impact (Ontario, Canada)

Petrus, J. A., D. E. Ames, and B. S. Kamber, 2014, On
the track of the elusive sudbury impact: geochemical
evidence for a chondrite or comet bolide. Terra Nova.
DOI: 10.1111/ter.12125. Accepted Article
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ter.12125/abstract
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ter.12125/pdf

Yours,

Paul H.

Plant Fossil Record Reflects Just Two Great Extinction Events – Open Access

Plant Fossil Record Reflects Just Two Great Extinction Events – Open Access

Cascales-Miñana, B., and C. J. Cleal, 2014, The
plant fossil record reflects just two great extinction
events. Terra Nova. vol. 26, no. 3, pp. 195–200.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ter.12086/full
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ter.12086/pdf

"Here we show that the plant fossil record in fact only
provides evidence of two mass taxonomic extinction
events, one through the Carboniferous-Permian
transition, the other during middle-late Permian times."

Yours,

Paul H.