Ancient Fossil Research Articles

The hyena story: from ancient fossils to folktales and witchcraft

The hyena story: from ancient fossils to folktales and witchcraft

Could very low-metallicity stars with rotation-dominated orbits have been driven by the bar?

The most metal-poor stars (e.g., [Fe/H] ≤ –2.5) are the ancient fossils from the early assembly epoch of our Galaxy. They very likely formed before the the thick disk. Recent studies have shown that a non-negligible fraction of them have prograde planar orbits, which means that their origin is a puzzle. It has been suggested that a later-formed rotating bar could have driven these old stars from the inner Galaxy outward and transformed their orbits so that they became more dominated by rotation. However, it is unclear whether this mechanism can explain these stars as observed in the solar neighborhood. We explore whether this scenario is feasible by tracing these stars backward in an axisymmetric Milky Way potential with a bar as perturber. We integrated their orbits backward for 6 Gyr under two bar models: one model with a constant pattern speed, and the other with a decelerating speed. Our experiments show that for the constantly rotating bar model, the stars of interest are little affected by the bar and cannot have been driven from a spheroidal inner Milky Way to their current orbits. In the extreme case of a decelerating bar, some of the very metal-poor stars on planar and prograde orbits can be brought from the inner Milky Way, but ∼90% of them were nevertheless already dominated by rotation (Jϕ ≥ 1000 km s−1 kpc) 6 Gyr ago. The chance that these stars started with spheroid-like orbits with low rotation (Jϕ ≲ 600 km s−1 kpc) is very low (< 3%). We therefore conclude that within the solar neighborhood, the bar is unlikely to have shepherded a significant fraction of spheroid stars in the inner Galaxy to produce the overdensity of stars on prograde planar orbits that is observed today.

Monitoring Surface Deformations in a Fossil Landslide Zone and Identifying Potential Failure Mechanisms: A Case Study of Gümüşhane State Hospital.

The escalating occurrence of landslides has drawn increasing attention from the scientific community, primarily driven by a combination of natural phenomena such as unpredictable seismic events, intensified precipitation, and rapid snowmelt attributable to climate fluctuations, compounded by inadequacies in engineering practices during site selection. Within the scope of this investigation, contemporary geodetic techniques using the GNSS were employed to monitor structural and surface deformations in and around a hospital edifice situated within an ancient fossil landslide region. Additionally, inclinometer measurements facilitated the determination of slip circle parameters. A subsequent analysis integrated these datasets to scrutinize both the hospital structure and its surrounding slopes. In addition to the finite element method, four different limit equilibrium methods (Bishop, GLE-Morgenstern-Price, Spencer, and Janbu) were used in the evaluation of stability. Since the safety number determined in all analyses was <1, it was determined that the slope containing the hospital building was unstable. The movement has occurred again due to the additional load created by the hospital building built on the currently stable slope, the effect of surface and groundwater, and the improperly designed road route. As a result of geodetic monitoring, it was determined that the sliding speed on the surface was in the N-E direction and was approximately 3 cm, and this situation almost coincided with inclinometer measurements.

Research on the potential of biomass as a chemical energy source

Biomass is an important renewable energy source, derived directly or indirectly from photosynthesis in plants. At present, the world relies heavily on traditional fossil energy, which are hydrocarbons or their derivatives, formed by the accumulation of ancient fossils over time. This paper analyzes and compares the energy produced by various chemical energy sources, as well as their environmental impact and energy efficiency to study the feasibility of substances as bio-energy sources. As energy is indispensable for the survival of human beings, how to discover more green energy and utilize it will become a major challenge for us in the future. Biomass, as a kind of chemical energy has the potential to solve the problem of lack of chemical energy. This paper finally concludes that biomass is feasible as a future chemical energy source, and its super renewable capacity and its nature for solar energy tell us about its huge potential.

Paleoparasitological studies of the woolly mammoth (&lt;i&gt;Mammutus primigenus&lt;/i&gt; (Blumenbach, 1799))

Mammoth fauna found in the permafrost in Yakutia are usually well-preserved, with up to 90% of unique discoveries, including those with soft tissues and fossil animals with intact biological fluids. Despite the exceptional preservationconditions in the deep permafrost, the remains of woolly mammoth have not been used in paleoparasitological research. This article introduces the initial findings of a paleoparasitological investigation conducted on thawed samples obtained from a woolly mammoth. The research material consisted of the gastrointestinal contents of a woolly mammoth found in the Bulunsky district on the Bykovsky Peninsula in 2022. The mammoth’s remains were discovered in permafrost and were consistently frozen until sampling, maintaining their shape well. Traditional helminthological methods, such as native smear and the Fulleborn method, were used. For the first time, eggs and larvae of helminths from the Nematoda class, including the Ascaris eggs from the Ascaridata suborder, family Ascarididae Baird, 1853 were identified in frozen-thawed samples of the woolly mammoth. A total of 13 eggs were found, showcasing excellent preservation that allowed for visualization of eggs at various developmental stages and measurement of eggshell size and thickness. The diameter of the Ascaris eggs from the woolly mammoth (Mammutus primigenus (Blumenbach, 1799)) was 73.25 ± 1.47 microns, with a shell thickness of 4.10 ± 0.20 microns. Additionally, four varieties of whole larvae and larvae fragments of the Nemathelminthes type within the Nematoda class were identified for the first time. These discoveries contribute to our knowledge of ancient fossil animals parasites and require further exploration.

THE GEOARCHAEOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE OF WALLACE TANK PUEBLO (AZ Q:1:199 (ASM)), PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK, ARIZONA: REHABILITATING THE DAMAGED CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF A PUEBLO IV VILLAGE

Petrified Forest National Park (PEFO) is a unique landscape of physical beauty and paleontological treasures. Known for its ancient fossils, petrified wood, and awe-inspiring vistas, it is also well-known in the archaeological community as having some of the earliest villages on the southern Colorado Plateau. Additionally, it is home to a few large late precontact pueblos (Pueblo IV period: ~1275-1400 CE) that were once part of an extensive regional network of communities where people and goods moved across the landscape. Wallace Tank Pueblo is the largest Pueblo IV period village within the Park. This once thriving 600-room pueblo was home to the ancestors of the Zuni, Hopi, and other descendant communities. Over time the physical features of the village were damaged by historic ranching activities and natural erosion. It is now a scoured and degraded landscape where the once sustaining natural spring is not even identifiable. Because of the uniqueness of this village within the Petrified Forest environment consultations between the Park and descendant communities should consider management plans that will re-establish a spring-fed wetlands. Such a plan would not only focus on preservation of the cultural features, but also on the health of the environment and that of the descendants who maintain an emotional and spiritual connection to this ancestral village.

Adaptive Reactions of Ancient Fossil Organisms: Likely Evolutionary Causes of Sociality Emergence

Adaptive Reactions of Ancient Fossil Organisms: Likely Evolutionary Causes of Sociality Emergence

Explore the Co-evolution of Environment and Life in Geological History: Recent Progress at IVPP Laboratory of Palaeoenvironment

The co-evolution of climate-environment and ancient vertebrates fossil human are core topics in the theory of biological evolution. At the micro level, we hope to understand the feeding habits of some important groups of organisms in ancient ecosystems, such as dinosaurs, birds, and mammals, as well as their related feeding behaviors, migration patterns, and ecological niches. This requires a comprehensive analysis of key global climate processes during critical periods, the evolution of terrestrial ecosystems, and their relationship with the origin, evolution, and extinction of ancient fossil fauna. Similarly, changes in global climate and ancient monsoon systems have played important roles in the origin, migration, diffusion and behavioral patterns of ancient human being. The domestication of animals and plants and the origin of agriculture are the most representative examples of the co-evolution of human and ecosystem. The early agricultural society not only adapted to most of the area of the terrestrial ecosystem, but also transformed it into the human ecosystem to a large extent.

A Review of Oil Spills on Marine Life and Associated Wildlife

Oil is an ancient fossil fuel used to power sectors like heat and electricity production. A wide range of fuels in automobiles and lubricants for mechanical machines have a significant role in our economy. Oil spills occur due to accidents, such as vessels crashing or being damaged, problems with oil platforms and drilling, and people making mistakes or equipment breaking down. Other causes include natural disasters like earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic activity underwater. Volcanic eruptions can release oil and gas stored beneath the seafloor. The intense heat and pressure can cause hydrocarbons to escape, forming oil slicks on the water's surface. We provide a summary literature review and overview framework to help communities systematically consider the factors and linkages that would influence the consequences of a potential oil spill. The focus is on spills from oil tanker accidents. Drawing primarily on empirical studies of previous oil spill disasters, we focused on several domains of interest: the oil spill, the physical marine environment, marine biology, human health, and policy

Improved DNA-Versus-Protein Homology Search for Protein Fossils.

Protein fossils, i.e., noncoding DNA descended from coding DNA, arise frequently from transposable elements (TEs), decayed genes, and viral integrations. They can reveal, and mislead about, evolutionary history and relationships. They have been detected by comparing DNA to protein sequences, but current methods are not optimized for this task. We describe a powerful DNA-protein homology search method. We use a 64×21 substitution matrix, which is fitted to sequence data, automatically learning the genetic code. We detect subtly homologous regions by considering alternative possible alignments between them, and calculate significance (probability of occurring by chance between random sequences). Our method detects TE protein fossils much more sensitively than blastx, and faster. Of the ∼7 major categories of eukaryotic TE, three were long thought absent in mammals: we find two of them in the human genome, polinton and DIRS/Ngaro. This method increases our power to find ancient fossils, and perhaps to detect non-standard genetic codes. The alternative-alignments and significance paradigm is not specific to DNA-protein comparison, and could benefit homology search generally. This is an extended version of a conference paper (Yao & Frith, 2021).

Adaptive reactions of ancient fossil organisms: Likely evolutionary causes of sociality emergence

The results of the study of stromatolites for the purposes of geology have shown the directed and irreversible nature of their evolution. Further detailed study of the structure made it possible to reveal the subordination of the structures of various hierarchical levels and the consistency of their changes over time, which indicates the presence of morphogenetic and adaptive capabilities in the macroscopic stromatolite-forming agent – the properties of an integral organism. This was in conflict with the ideas existing at that time about the impossibility of the formation of organized communities or multicellular organisms by prokaryotes. It was believed that the formation of multicellular organisms and any communities with developed communication requires a high structural complexity of the elements. Bacteria were considered as solitary or colonial organisms not having sufficient complexity. However, direct observation of their accumulations revealed signs of highly organized communities comparable in their integrity to organisms. This forces a different approach to the nature of the emergence of communities and the sources of their complexity. Based on the unity of the observed processes, in addition to the cyanobacteria themselves, data on other groups of bacteria, as well as on modular organisms and communities of multicellular eukaryotes, are considered.

MINCE

Context. In recent years, Galactic archaeology has become a particularly vibrant field of astronomy, with its main focus set on the oldest stars of our Galaxy. In most cases, these stars have been identified as the most metal-poor. However, the struggle to find these ancient fossils has produced an important bias in the observations – in particular, the intermediate metal-poor stars (−2.5 &lt; [Fe/H] &lt; −1.5) have been frequently overlooked. The missing information has consequences for the precise study of the chemical enrichment of our Galaxy, in particular for what concerns neutron capture elements and it will be only partially covered by future multi object spectroscopic surveys such as WEAVE and 4MOST. Aims. Measuring at Intermediate Metallicity Neutron Capture Elements (MINCE) is gathering the first high-quality spectra (high signal-to-noise ratio, S/N, and high resolution) for several hundreds of bright and metal-poor stars, mainly located in our Galactic halo. Methods. We compiled our selection mainly on the basis of Gaia data and determined the stellar atmospheres of our sample and the chemical abundances of each star. Results. In this paper, we present the first sample of 59 spectra of 46 stars. We measured the radial velocities and computed the Galactic orbits for all stars. We found that 8 stars belong to the thin disc, 15 to disrupted satellites, and the remaining cannot be associated to the mentioned structures, and we call them halo stars. For 33 of these stars, we provide abundances for the elements up to zinc. We also show the chemical evolution results for eleven chemical elements, based on recent models. Conclusions. Our observational strategy of using multiple telescopes and spectrographs to acquire high S/N and high-resolution spectra for intermediate-metallicity stars has proven to be very efficient, since the present sample was acquired over only about one year of observations. Finally, our target selection strategy, after an initial adjustment, proved satisfactory for our purposes.

Ancient Antarctica: the early evolutionary history of Nothofagus

ABSTRACT The genus Nothofagus (southern beech) has an extensive fossil record and extant species exclusively distributed in the Southern Hemisphere. It is divided into four subgenera widespread across eastern Australasia and southern South America. The origin and evolution among closely related species remain an important question in palaeontology. The goal of this work is to reconstruct the biogeography of Nothofagus incorporating a complete leaf fossil dataset to better understand its origin, diversification, and colonisation history. The most ancient fossil leaves were discovered in Antarctica and are herein included for the first time into phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses. We employed statistical biogeographic methods implemented in BioGeoBEARS to estimate ancestral areas. The results support a high probability that the ancient ancestor of Nothofagus may have originated in Antarctica during the Late Cretaceous which is also supported by the fossil pollen record found in the Antarctic Peninsula. Subgenera Fuscospora and Lophozonia resulted in the most ancient clades, while the subgenera Nothofagus and Brassospora evolved later (Palaeogene). Our model supports that subgenera divergences were characterised by both dispersal and vicariance events from the Late Cretaceous to the early–middle Eocene.

X-ray fluorescence microscopy methods for biological tissues.

Synchrotron-based X-ray fluorescence microscopy is a flexible tool for identifying the distribution of trace elements in biological specimens across a broad range of sample sizes. The technique is not particularly limited by sample type and can be performed on ancient fossils, fixed or fresh tissue specimens, and in some cases even live tissue and live cells can be studied. The technique can also be expanded to provide chemical specificity to elemental maps, either at individual points of interest in a map or across a large field of view. While virtually any sample type can be characterized with X-ray fluorescence microscopy, common biological sample preparation methods (often borrowed from other fields, such as histology) can lead to unforeseen pitfalls, resulting in altered element distributions and concentrations. A general overview of sample preparation and data-acquisition methods for X-ray fluorescence microscopy is presented, along with outlining the general approach for applying this technique to a new field of investigation for prospective new users. Considerations for improving data acquisition and quality are reviewed as well as the effects of sample preparation, with a particular focus on soft tissues. The effects of common sample pretreatment steps as well as the underlying factors that govern which, and to what extent, specific elements are likely to be altered are reviewed along with common artifacts observed in X-ray fluorescence microscopy data.

Paleozoic Protein Fossils Illuminate the Evolution of Vertebrate Genomes and Transposable Elements.

Genomes hold a treasure trove of protein fossils: Fragments of formerly protein-coding DNA, which mainly come from transposable elements (TEs) or host genes. These fossils reveal ancient evolution of TEs and genomes, and many fossils have been exapted to perform diverse functions important for the host’s fitness. However, old and highly degraded fossils are hard to identify, standard methods (e.g. BLAST) are not optimized for this task, and few Paleozoic protein fossils have been found. Here, a recently optimized method is used to find protein fossils in vertebrate genomes. It finds Paleozoic fossils predating the amphibian/amniote divergence from most major TE categories, including virus-related Polinton and Gypsy elements. It finds 10 fossils in the human genome (eight from TEs and two from host genes) that predate the last common ancestor of all jawed vertebrates, probably from the Ordovician period. It also finds types of transposon and retrotransposon not found in human before. These fossils have extreme sequence conservation, indicating exaptation: some have evidence of gene-regulatory function, and they tend to lie nearest to developmental genes. Some ancient fossils suggest “genome tectonics,” where two fragments of one TE have drifted apart by up to megabases, possibly explaining gene deserts and large introns. This paints a picture of great TE diversity in our aquatic ancestors, with patchy TE inheritance by later vertebrates, producing new genes and regulatory elements on the way. Host-gene fossils too have contributed anciently conserved DNA segments. This paves the way to further studies of ancient protein fossils.

Deciphering the morphological variation and its ontogenetic dynamics in the Late Devonian conodont Icriodus alternatus

Identification of relevant taxonomic and evolutionary units is a recurrent issue in the fossil record, and all the more for ancient fossils devoid of modern equivalents such as conodonts. Extensive morphological variation has often led to the description of numerous species, subspecies or morphotypes, which may correspond to end-member morphologies reached through ontogeny. The platform elements of the Late Devonian conodont speciesIcriodus alternatuswere characterized by rows of denticles coming into occlusion between opposite elements; each element grew by the incremental addition of lamellae and by the addition of successive triads during ontogeny. During the late Frasnian and the early Famennian, the important morphological variation within this species led to the description of three subspecies. An extensive sample of early FamennianIcriodus alternatuswas quantified using 2D biometric measurements and denticle counts on 2D pictures, showing that the subspecies mainly differed in their size range but not in their general morphology. A 3D morphometric analysis was further performed on a subsample to characterize the shape of the ontogenetically older part of the elements. During ontogeny, early valleys between denticles tended to be filled, and the asymmetry between the inner and outer side of the element increased. These ontogenetic trends are responsible for the morphologies formerly described as the subspeciesIc. alt. mawsonaeandIc. alt. helmsi. Slight discrepancies between temporal ranges of the subspecies may be achieved through variations in range of size reached by the elements as a response to environmental changes. Disparity along ontogeny seems to follow an “hourglass model” suggesting a shift from relatively loose developmental constraints to a pattern of growth modulated by functional constraints during occlusion.

Seeing through the hedge: Phylogenomics of Thuja (Cupressaceae) reveals prominent incomplete lineage sorting and ancient introgression for Tertiary relict flora.

The Eastern Asia (EA) - North America (NA) disjunction is a well-known biogeographic pattern of the Tertiary relict flora; however, few studies have investigated the evolutionary history of this disjunction using a phylogenomic approach. Here, we used 2369 single copy nuclear genes and nearly full plastomes to reconstruct the evolutionary history of the small Tertiary relict genus Thuja, which consists of five disjunctly distributed species. The nuclear species tree strongly supported an EA clade Thuja standishii-Thuja sutchuenensis and a "disjunct clade", where western NA species T. plicata is sister to an EA-eastern NA disjunct Thuja occidentalis-Thuja koraiensis group. Our results suggested that the observed topological discordance among the gene trees as well as the cytonuclear discordance is mainly due to incomplete lineage sorting, probably facilitated by the fast diversification of Thuja around the Early Miocene and the large effective population sizes of ancestral lineages. Furthermore, approximately 20% of the T. sutchuenensis nuclear genome is derived from an unknown ancestral lineage of Thuja, which might explain the close resemblance of its cone morphology to that of an ancient fossil species. Overall, our study demonstrates that single genes may not resolve interspecific relationships for disjunct taxa, and that more reliable results will come from hundreds or thousands of loci, revealing a more complex evolutionary history. This will steadily improve our understanding of their origin and evolution.

Fossil wood of Syzygium from the Miocene of Guangxi, South China: the earliest fossil evidence of the genus in eastern Asia

Abstract A new species, Syzygium guipingensis sp. nov. (Myrtaceae), is described based on mummified fossil wood from the Miocene Erzitang Formation of Guiping Basin, Guangxi, South China. This species represents the most ancient reliable fossil record of the genus Syzygium in eastern Asia, showing the greatest similarity to the extant species S. buxifolium Hook. et Arnott. Its occurrence in the Miocene is consistent with the diversification age of the Asian lineage within Syzygium as estimated by molecular dating (11.4 Ma). The fossil record of Syzygium suggests that this genus migrated from Australia to eastern Asia in the Miocene, coincidently with the formation of island chains between these continents.

Book Review: Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, From Ancient Fossils to DNA

Book Review: Some Assembly Required: Decoding Four Billion Years of Life, From Ancient Fossils to DNA

Earliest fossil record of the genus Tetradium (Rutaceae) in Asia: implications for its evolution and palaeoecology

AbstractA new species, Tetradium nanningense sp. nov. (Rutaceae), is described on the basis of well‐preserved mummified wood from the upper Oligocene Yongning Formation of Nanning Basin, Guangxi Province, South China. This species represents the most ancient fossil evidence of the genus Tetradium in Asia, the region of its modern distribution. Its occurrence in the late Oligocene is consistent with the diversification age of the modern Asian species within this genus as estimated by molecular dating: T. nanningense could be closely related to an ancestor of extant Tetradium species. The fossil record of Tetradium suggests that this genus migrated from North America to eastern Asia in the Oligocene. The presence of (semi‐)ring‐porous wood and helical thickenings on vessel walls in T. nanningense provides new evidence for the independent gains of these traits in the course of evolution among different plant groups from eastern and south‐eastern Asia in the Oligocene. These wood features might have arisen in response to the increase in climate seasonality following the abrupt climate cooling across the Eocene–Oligocene boundary.