Theme 1: Inferring behavior from the fossil record.
Title: Fossil Fiasco – Expect the Unexpected
Background & Rationale: When an organism dies, there are numerous taphonomic processes that occur from the death up until the discovery of the preserved fossil. Weathering of the fossil due to prolonged exposure to inadequate conditions such as wind or rain, scavenging of the remains, and plastic deformation which occurs when the pressure and weight of the overlying material results in permanent damage to the fossil, are some of many more factors that play a role in its damage and decay. Whether the researchers are then able to distinguish the features of the fossil as a result of damage are of utmost importance. This is so because it can be very difficult to decipher between distinctness due to speciation or damage to the preservation. Errors because of this can result in numerous inaccurate conclusions. Rowe et. al (2001) examined the paleontological mishap when an Archaeoraptor fossil was deemed as the missing link that claimed birds evolved from carnivorous dinosaurs. It was later realized from extensive technological testing (X-ray Computed Tomography), that in fact, this missing link was a hoax after all as the bones of a bird and a non-avian dinosaur were combined to create this fossil. Three recent publications discuss some of the methods and experiences in inferring behavior from fossils.
Benton, Michael J. (2010): Inferring behavior from fossil a record is a difficult task because such hypotheses can never be tested in the real world and thus, leaving room for uncertainty. Three main approaches of behavior and function inference from fossils are known today. The first approach uses empirical evidence, a pro...
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...would benefit from placing less emphasis on morphological data and incorporating other ecological data into their studies to expand their understanding of organisms’ behaviour.
References
Benton, Michael J. 2010. Studying Function And Behavior In The Fossil Record. Plos Biology 8.3: 1-5.
Collard, M., and Wood, B. 2000. How reliable are human phylogenetic hypotheses?. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 97(9): 5003-5006.
Chiappe, L.M., Z. Bo, J.K. O’Connor, G. Chunling, W. Xuri, M. Habib, J. Marugan-Lobon, M. Quingjin, and C. Xiaodong. 2014. A new specimen of the Early Cretaceous bird Hongshanornis longicresta: insights into the aerodynamics and diet of a basal ornithuromorph. PeerJ2: e234.
Rowe, T., Katchum, R., Denison, C., Colbert, M., Xu, X., and P. Currie. 2001. Forensic paleontology: The Archaeoraptor Forgery. Nature 410: 539-540.
Web. The Web. The Web. 11 February 2014 “Biology: Evolution”. The New York Public Library Science Desk Reference.
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Paul, Gregory S. (2002). "Looking for the True Bird Ancestor". Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 171–224. ISBN 0-8018-6763-0.
Three incomplete skulls of Homo sapiens were discovered in 1997. Bruce Bower’s article “African Legacy: Fossils plug gap in human origins” discusses the fossils. These findings are important because according to the discoverers, they are the oldest known fossils of modern people. The skulls were found in Herto, Ethiopian located in eastern Africa. The fossils are dated between 154,000 and 160,000 years ago.i[1] The fossils were dated radioisotopically.ii[2] Since the fossils are the oldest known fossils of modern people, it is probable that these hominids represent the immediate ancestors of humans that are anatomically modern. Tim D. White’s (et al) article “Pleistocene Homo sapiens from Middle Awash, Ethiopia” describes the discovery of the Herto fossils and the research of the artifacts in great detail.
Feder and Park present a list of traits that are used by paleoanthropologists to distinguish the appearance of skeletal features and characterize these changes over time. Th...
Myers, provider of source material for Edie Heydt's notes from "Human Origins," fall 1997, Alfred. Much of the material in the notes is paraphrased, and the original information sources are unknown.
In conclusion, we are successfully able to recreate the ecosystem of two unknown species from the few pieces of information provided to us. It is important to understand the importance of extinct fossils as they contribute to our understanding of life in the past and hold vital information to how the world was back then.
This recent discovery has left scientists with many questions to be answered. The discovery is quite important because any research up until now has failed to uncover any evidence that would reveal that dinosaurs fed among their own kind. Ray Rogers whom has been leading the ten-year excavation states in the article that there are at least 14 current day animals that still practice cannibalism such as lions, komodo dragons, crocodiles, hyenas, black bears and grasshopper mice, but in contrast, any evidence of cannibalism among dinosaurs is sparse.
The debate of whether dinosaurs were cold blooded or warm blooded has been ongoing since the beginning of the century. At the turn of the century scientists believed that dinosaurs had long limbs and were fairly slim, supporting the idea of a cold blooded reptile. Recently, however, the bone structure, number or predators to prey, and limb position have suggested a warm blooded species. In addition, the recent discovery of a fossilized dinosaur heart has supported the idea that dinosaurs were a warm blooded species. In this essay, I am going to give supporting evidence of dinosaurs being both warm and cold blooded. I will provide background information on the dinosaur that was discovered and what information it provides scientists.
Paleoanthropology: Pliocene and Pleistocene Human Evolution. Paleobiology, 7:3:298-305. Frayer, David W. and Milford Walpoff 1985 Sexual Dimorphism. Annual Review of Anthropology, 14:429-473 Key, Catherine A. 2000 The Evolution of Human Life History.
My research strives to answer the presence and degree of interbreeding between Neanderthal and Modern humans. Researchers use different comparisons of the fossil record, phylogenetic, morphological, and genetic methods to explore these questions in more detail. The literature provided many positive correlations to my hypothesis that Neandertals and Modern Humans interbred on a small-scale basis after the dispersal of modern humans from Africa. The literature also predicts a time frame of likely interbreeding. To explore this question it is important to research article’s explaining the statistical, genetic, and physical evidence associated with possible interbreeding.
...pdated 1995, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), Dino Buzz – What killed The Dinosaurs ? – Current Arguments,
With its abundance of genera, the Burgess Shale is one of the world’s most important fossil fields. It’s discovery in 1909 led to over 100 years of paleontological study in the Canadian Rockies, a majority of which has been carried out in two quarries known as the Walcott and Raymond quarries (Hagadorn, 2002). Though he was originally in search of trilobites in the Burgess Shale Formation, paleontologist Charles Walcott also discovered a diverse group of soft- and hard-bodied fossils, from algae and sponges to chordates and cirripeds (Hagadorn, 2002). Soft-bodied fossils are incredibly rare due to their delicate structure and susceptibility to decay, so it is hard-bodied fossils that more regularly occur in fossil findings. However over 75,000 soft-bodied specimens have been found in the Burgess Shale formation (Hagadorn, 2002). These specimens are preserved in layers of shale formed from deposits of fine mud. One of the most significant species discovered is the Pikaia gracilens. Believed to be an early chordate, the Pikaia gracilens existed very close to the beginning of the evolutionary path that ultimately lead to humans (McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia, 2006).
Zacherl, Danielle. “Biology 171 Evolution and Biodiversity.” National Association of Research in Science Teaching 2007 Annual Meeting, New Orleans LA. (2007):n. page. Print.
The evidence for human evolution begins with the australopithecines. All the australopithecines were bipedal and therefore possible hominines. In details of their teeth, jaws, and brain size, however, they modify enough among themselves to be divided into five species: Australopithecus anamensis, A. afarensis, A. africanus, A. robustus, and A. boisei. Genus Homo are also divided in five different spices: Homo erectus, H. habilis, H. sapiens, and H. sapiens sapiens.