Society Of Vertebrate Paleontology Research Articles

An alternative perspective for acquisitions of amber from Myanmar including recommendations of the United Nations Human Rights Council

Recent publications have been actively recommending strong embargos on Burmese amber trade and research. Although the motivation of these actions seeks to prevent armed groups from obtaining capital via amber trade, which in the views of the authors helps further fueling the armed conflict, here, I demonstrate that this claim is not accurate. In this analysis, I prove that these preventative actions undertaken by the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology and echoed by others do not resolve the situation in Burma, but on the contrary, aggravate the problem by negatively affecting the Burmese miners. My analysis is congruent with other independent analyses of the Burmese Amber trade. In line with the recommendation of the United Nations, and as an alternative approach, it is possible to support the amber economy that is in opposition to the Burmese military and help the Burmese scientific community to increase their capability and knowledge to engage in a niche market that is largely not accessible to unethical players. This would lead to a sourcing of research material that fulfills the demand of the international scientific community for ethical standards.

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding \u201cFossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil-based scientific data\u201d: the importance of private collections

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding \u201cFossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil-based scientific data\u201d: the importance of private collections

Comment on the letter of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) dated April 21, 2020 regarding \u201cFossils from conflict zones and reproducibility of fossil-based scientific data\u201d: Myanmar amber

Motivation for this comment Recently, the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP) has sent around a letter, dated 21st April, 2020 to more than 300 palaeontological journals, signed by the President, Vice President and a former President of the society (Rayfield et al. 2020). The signatories of this letter request significant changes to the common practices in palaeontology. With our present, multi-authored comment, we aim to argue why these suggestions will not lead to improvement of both practice and ethics of palaeontological research but, conversely, hamper its further development. Although we disagree with most contents of the SVP letter, we appreciate this initiative to discuss scientific practices and the underlying ethics. Here, we consider different aspects of the suggestions by Rayfield et al. (2020) in which we see weaknesses and dangers. It is our intent to compile views from many different fields of palaeontology, as our discipline is (and should remain) pluralistic. This contribution deals with the aspects concerning Myanmar amber. Reference is made to Haug et al. (2020a) for another comment on aspects concerning amateur palaeontologists/ citizen scientists/private collectors.

Why fossil scientists are suing Trump over monuments move.

Downsizing of Utah preserves puts unique deposits at risk of damage from development, researchers argue.

'Four-legged snake' may be ancient lizard instead.

Controversy swirls around fossil, which is no longer accessible

Palaeontologia Electronica in an increasingly open-access world

When Palaeontologia Electronica (PE) published its first issue in 1998 (the first electronic palaeontological peer-reviewed journal), the primary goal of the journal was to harness the incredible technological potential of electronic publishing: speeding up the process of technical communication and making the emergent web-based technologies available to palaeontologists (MacLeod and Patterson, 1998). Our journal is now very much on the apogee of electronic publishing, although rapid evolution of the nature of scientific dissemination outside the traditional avenues of scholarly publishing means that we cannot afford to stagnate in this pursuit. It is therefore fitting that one of the big changes PE has experienced over the last few years has been the addition of several new editorial board members, all of whom are early to midcareer palaeontologists who have grown up with an innate appreciation of the internet’s technological potential, allowing us to readily adapt to the very different cyberspace of today’s World Wide Web. In 2015 the journal no longer faces the challenge of academic acceptance of electronic publication. This form of publication has now been firmly accepted by the vast majority of working scientists, and moving forward PE must instead look at the new challenges facing professional researchers, and particularly for PE, non-professional readers and contributors. In the 21st century, no other issue has shaken the academic publication institution more than the rise of, and push for, open-access (OA). In 2011, approximately 17% of all articles were published as open-access (Laskoo and Bjork, 2012), and this number is set to rise dramatically. The open-access movement is firmly rooted in the philosophy that publically funded research should be made free and available to all. In a world of different funding models of open-access, and different levels of open-access, Palaeontologia Electronica wears its OA credentials on its sleeve and has always done so. The increased pressure for OA has driven many traditional for-profit scholarly publishers to offer OA articles through an article processing charge, with most subscription organisations now publishing hybrid journals, giving the authors the choice to make their articles OA for a fee. Several publishing groups have also launched OA only journals funded through article processing fees. Article processing charges across OA journals can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars (Solomon and Bjork, 2012). Entirely thanks to the support of our sponsoring societies, The Palaeontological Association, The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and The Paleontological Society, as well as the Western Interior Paleontological Society, PE maintains a completely free publication process for both authors and readers. The claim that higher processing charges leads to greater journal impact and prestige does not always hold

Gunnell, G. F., and N. B. Simmons (eds.).2012. Evolutionary History of Bats: Fossils, Molecules and Morphology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 572 pp., 8 color illustrations and 26 tables. ISBN 978-0-521-74526-0, price (paper) $65.00, and ISBN: 978-1- 139-21076-8, price (eBook), $52.00

G. F. Gunnell, N. B. Simmons (eds.). 2012. Evolutionary History of Bats: Fossils, Molecules and Morphology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, United Kingdom, 572 pp., 8 color illustrations and 26 tables. ISBN 978-0-521-74526-0, price (paper) $65.00, and ISBN: 978-1- 139-21076-8, price (eBook), $52.00. Bats share unique morphological and life-history traits that ecologically and physiologically set them apart from all other mammals. They emerge from the early Eocene fossil record fully capable of powered flight (Simmons et al. 2008). Although fossils yield only hints of the evolutionary relationship among bats and other mammals, morphology and molecules from extant lineages tell us different stories about their relationship with other mammals, and relationships within Chiroptera. These issues, and the evolution of echolocation and flight and their possible trade-offs are hot topics in the evolutionary history of bats. In zoology in general, efforts to construct consistent evolutionary hypotheses combining evidence from morphology and molecules are increasingly common. Evolutionary History of Bats is a timely volume that reflects this movement. The book originates from a symposium held at the 2007 meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, in Austin, Texas. The contributions are excellent syntheses on different aspects of bat evolution, and most of them include original information. Some chapters reflect integrative approaches, combining molecular and morphological data sets with the fossil record, whereas others concentrate on new evidence from fossils, morphology of extant bats, or molecular approaches alone. Contributors include zoologists, geneticists, and paleontologists (from 9 countries and 4 continents) who are at the top of their game on different aspects of bat evolution. The editors— Gregg F. Gunnell (Duke University Lemur Center) and Nancy B. Simmons (American Museum of Natural History)—are prominent leaders … rmoratelli{at}fiocruz.br

Preface

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In closing this preface, this memoir would not have been possible without the encouragement and dedication of series editor J. A. Wilson, the timely comments and improvements of several colleagues, and the financial assistance from the Taylor & Francis Group and the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Special thanks are due to C. Abraczinskas of the University of Chicago for drafting and improving the final versions of the majority of the figures, and to W. Simpson and the superb fossil preparators in the Fossil Laboratory at the University of Chicago and the Museo de Ciencias Naturales at the Universidad Nacional de San Juan. We also thank the National Science Foundation (NSF BSR-8722586) for funding the 1988 Argentine-American Expedition, the National Geographic Society for funding the 1991 Argentine-American Expedition that resulted in the discovery of Eoraptor lunensis, the Earthwatch Institute for 12 years of field support, and the Universidad Nacional de San Juan and James Murphy for support of research and upgrading and expansion of paleontological laboratory and collections facilities. Handling editor: Jeffrey Wilson.

Jacob Boll, Robert T. Hill and the early history of vertebrate paleontology in Texas

Jacob Boll discovered the rich terrestrial fauna of the Texas Permian redbeds. Robert T. Hill mapped and named the Cretaceous formations of north Texas. Both, but especially Boll, supplied fossils to E.D. Cope. Of the more than 30 taxa named by Cope for fossils collected by Boll, Eryops megacephalus stands out as the species illustrated in the logo of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Two Legs Good

At the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting, researchers presented a single bone, the thighbone of an ancient australopithecine from Galili, Ethiopia, that may add an interesting piece to the puzzle of how our famed ancestor Lucy9s two-legged gait evolved.

Skulls Show Dinos Blew Their Horns

At the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting, a group presented the most sophisticated evidence yet that the nasal passages within the crests of lambeosaurs were used for vocalizing, not smelling.

Jaw Shows Platypus Goes Way Back

SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETING > SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY, 17–20 OCTOBER 2007, AUSTIN, TEXAS ![Figure][1] Sensational. Ancestors of the duck-billed platypus may have had the same electrosensory bill. CREDIT: NICOLE DUPLAIX/NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC/GETTY IMAGES When scientists first laid eyes on the duckbilled platypus and the echidnas in the late 18th century, they were so baffled by these bizarre egg-laying mammals that some considered the specimens a hoax. Modern researchers have uncovered other implausible features, including 40,000 tiny glands in the broad bill that sense electric currents, which may help the platypus catch prey underwater. The ant-eating echidna has about 100 in its tiny snout. The platypus and echidna are so unusual that they were assigned an order—the Monotremata—separate from the more common marsupial and placental mammals. The fossil record of monotremes is also sparse. The oldest known specimen is a single tooth from Patagonia, about 62 million years old, with a distinctive compressed shape like that of juvenile platypuses before they lose their teeth. A reanalysis of fossil jaws from Australia, reported at the meeting, suggests it belonged to a platypus that lived at least 112 million years ago. “It's really, really old for a monotreme,” Timothy Rowe of the University of Texas (UT), Austin, told the audience. Teinolophos trusleri was discovered near Inverloch, Australia, in 1997 and described by Thomas Rich of the Museum Victoria in Melbourne, Pat Vickers-Rich of Monash University, and colleagues. The specimens consist of jaws and teeth. ![Figure][1] Grand canal. The dark gray area in the CT scan ( above ) of a jaw marks the path of nerve fibers. CREDIT: TIMOTHY ROWE/ PNAS Looking for more anatomical clues to the evolution of mammals, Rich's team took fossil jaws to Rowe, a paleontologist who also runs a computed tomography-scanning facility at UT Austin. Scans of three specimens revealed a large internal canal along the entire length of the jaw, like the canal in a modern platypus that carries nerve fibers from the electrosensory glands in the bill to the brain. “There's no other mammal that has a canal this size,” Rowe said. Even back in the early Cretaceous, it seems, the platypus was using electrosensation. “This is the most compelling evidence to us that Teinolophos is a platypus.” That would push back the fossil record of the platypus quite a bit; the next youngest fossil is Obdurodon dicksoni from 15-million-year-old rocks in Australia. It is also much older than current estimates from DNA of when platypuses and echidnas diverged from their most recent common ancestor. Molecular clocks put that date somewhere between 17 million and 80 million years ago. Rowe speculated that one reason for the underestimate may be that monotremes evolve at slower rates than other mammals do, an idea that fits with their lower diversity. Zhe-Xi Luo of the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, agrees that the canal in Teinolophos resembles that of a modern platypus: “I'm leaning toward accepting Rowe's idea.” [1]: pending:yes

Is Selling Vertebrate Fossils Bad For Science?

Fossil sales are big business. Major auction houses such as Sotheby's and Bonhams & Butterfields proudly feature fossils, including vertebrate fossils, in their catalogues. On online auction sites such as eBay, fossil dealers offer museum-quality specimens for private ownership at prices ranging from around a dollar to several thousands of dollars. For example, searches conducted on eBay during the writing of this manuscript, using the key words “dinosaur fossil,” gave results consistently showing around 200 items; items priced in U.S. dollars fetched a cumulative price tag consistently in excess of $21,000. Clearly, there's money to be made in selling vertebrate fossils for profit. Given this, it might come as a surprise to the general public that many people consider fossils to be resources worth protecting, rather than commodities to be sold. For example, a bill unanimously passed by the U.S. Senate in July 2005, and currently under consideration by the U.S. House of Representatives (before the Committees of Resources and Agriculture as of this writing), the “Paleontological Resources Preservation Act” (S.263), considers fossils to be nonrenewable and scientifically important resources requiring protection and conservation. A report published in May of 2000 by then-Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt recognized fossils as part of our natural heritage, further emphasizing that vertebrate fossils are rare, and that significant fossils found on public lands should be conserved for scientific and educational purposes. The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (SVP), a professional international organization of vertebrate paleontologists, asks its members to adhere to an ethics statement specifically rejecting the idea of significant vertebrate fossils as items that can be bought, sold or bartered, save where such activities bring those fossils into the public trust. Why is there such a difference of opinion? Is it better to sell vertebrate fossils, or to preserve them in perpetuity? …

Antiextinction Tip: Eat to Live

SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETINGDENVER, COLORADO-- Almost 1000 paleontologists and enthusiasts met here from 3 to 6 November for the 64th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Eating marine mammals may have helped the California condor avoid the fate of many other large scavenging birds that went extinct 12,000 years ago, a paleontologist reported at the meeting.

Timing Complicates History of Horses

SOCIETY OF VERTEBRATE PALEONTOLOGY MEETINGDENVER, COLORADO-- Almost 1000 paleontologists and enthusiasts met here from 3 to 6 November for the 64th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Researchers reported that it took 4 million years after grasses began to dominate the Great Plains for high-crowned cheek teeth, which have long been considered a response to a changing environment, to appear in herbivores--a puzzling lag.

Head Games Show Whether Dinos Went on Two Legs or Four

DENVER, COLORADO-- Almost 1000 paleontologists and enthusiasts met here from 3 to 6 November for the 64th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. A trio of paleontologists presented a broad survey of dinosaurs and showed that the shape of the inner ear canals can reveal whether a dinosaur stood upright or walked on all fours.

Eocene Biodiversity: Unusual Occurrences and Rarely Sampled Habitats

Gregg F. Gunnell, ed., 2001, Kluwer Academic / Plenum Publishers, New York, 442 p. (Hardcover, US $95.00) ISBN: 0-306-46528-0. The Eocene is a unique interval in earth history, characterized by profound faunal turnovers, pronounced climate changes, and an atypically rich, global, terrestrial faunal record. The impetus for Eocene Biodiversity: Unusual Occurrences and Rarely Sampled Habitats, as well as for a symposium of the same name at the 1998 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology meeting in Snowbird, Utah, resulted from the recognition that although most Eocene fossil occurrences are from similar preservational and depositional settings, a growing number of unique occurrences (unusual depositional or geographical settings) characterize the Eocene. This book is both an exceptional reference for Eocene researchers as well as a friendly introduction for the newcomer. The sixteen chapters, outlined below, are authored by an international group of specialists and are, as a whole, well written and organized in a clear, consistent manner. This volume has two aims: to document rare and exceptional Eocene faunal occurrences and to compare these non-traditional fossil samples with classic Eocene faunas worldwide. The opening chapter, by Lance Grande, provides an updated review of the Green River Fish Fauna. Grande’s (1984) original tome long has been an essential tool in the analysis of lower vertebrates from the Green River Formation. It remains the template against which most other Eocene lacustrine fish faunas are compared. This chapter makes current earlier work on the taxonomy, evolutionary relationships, and community composition of the Green River lakes system, and likely will prove to be as valuable as its predecessors. Chapter 2 by Harrison et al. presents an update on recent research on Middle Eocene localities at Mahenge, Tanzania. Fossils in this area occur in a series of crater lakes that formed at the top of kimberlite pipes. The deposits …

Paleoprimatology at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

Paleoprimatology at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology

Paleoprimatology at the pyramid of the sun

annualmeeting of the Society of Vertebrate Pa-leontology in Mexico City last October,more than 500 paleontologists con-vened to discuss the latest discoveries inpaleontology, touching on such diversetaxa as dinosaurs, horses, rodents, croc-odilians, and, of course, primates.Herein we discuss new fossils relevantto the study of primate evolution, aswell as new advances in the phyloge-netic analysis of fossil data.

Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. Fossils come to life in Mexico.

New insights into ancient life came by land and sea at the 60th annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, held here from 25 to 28 October. Stunningly preserved fossils from Mongolia gave contrasting views of dinosaur family life, while biomechanical models clocked the swimming speed of cruising ichthyosaurs.