Paleontology

A wedge of sediment, pushed up by glacial movement, may be a buffer against moderate sea level rise, pointing to ocean temperature rise as the key factor in glacial retreat, according to two papers published today (March 1) in Science Express. "Sediment beneath ice shelves helps stabilize ice sheets against retreat in response to rise in relative sea level of at least several meters," says Richard Alley, the Evan Pugh professor of geosciences, Penn State. "Large sea level rise, such as the more than 325 feet at the end of the last ice age, may overwhelm the stabilizing feedback from…

A decade ago, Shuhai Xiao, associate professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech, and his colleagues discovered thousands of 600-million-year-old embryo microfossils in the Doushantuo Formation, a fossil site near Weng'an, South China. In 2000, Xiao's team reported the discovery of a tubular coral-like animal that might be a candidate for parenthood. Shown are scanning electron photomicrographs of two fossil embryo specimens from the 600-million-year-old Doushantuo Formation in South China. The soccer-ball-shaped specimen is interpreted as an early stage (blastula) embryo, and the baseball-…

Dr Gavin Prideaux, paleontologist for Western Australian Museum and Flinders University, publishes an article in international journal Geology's January 2007 edition that is certain to fuel what has become one of palaeontology's longest-running and contentious debates.   The latest study is unique in providing a long-term perspective on the responses of the megafauna in the Naracoorte Caves region of south-eastern Australia to cyclical swings in Ice Age climates.   Australia lost 90% of its large fauna, including rhino-sized marsupials, 3-metre tall kangaroos and giant goannas…