Mineral Evolution: What's Next? Geobiology Or Biogeology?

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Mineral Evolution: What's Next? Geobiology Or Biogeology? Perspectives Mineral evolution: Earth, life has also influenced the that is required is to look into the rocks mineral kingdom. The main example on other planets to find life! what’s next? provided by Hazen2 is that of life Geobiology or producing a ‘toxic gas’—oxygen— How is it being said? which allowed the formation of oxidic The language used in the articles biogeology? minerals that did not exist before, such covering this new topic sounds like as azurite—Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2. Of the an evolutionary Esperanto: mineral Emil Silvestru approximately 4,300 known mineral evolution, co-evolution, niches and species, Hazen claims that two thirds such like. Hazen clearly states in lthough Charles Darwin are ‘life-mediated’.2 his interview2: ‘You cannot be a Aconsidered himself a geologist, he This seems to close the circle geologist without thinking of biology is revered today as the pillar of modern because some speculations,4 presented and you cannot be a biologist without biology. But that soon may change if as facts by philosopher Michael Ruse thinking of geology.’ The motivation his evolutionary ideas will be applied in Ben Stein’s film Expelled: No here seems obvious: we need to to minerals too. There is now a trend Intelligence Allowed, were made reinforce both biology and geology towards the blurring of the frontiers of that life may have evolved on crystal by integrating them into one, larger the earth and life sciences, a push for surfaces where certain chemicals tend and more defendable body. Such a motivation undoubtedly reveals integration. Within the evolutionary to accumulate and maybe the regular paradigm, geology represents the that both evolutionary biology and structure of crystals caused the first supreme argument, an archive of evolutionary geology feel threatened! polymers to form.5,6 life’s changes (from goo-to-you) over Above all, this is yet another billions of years. But recent research So, to conclude: life was born on media trick as Hazen indirectly admits is pushing the idea that minerals also crystal surfaces and after it reached when he states that, this is a story and evolved,1 actually co-evolved with life a certain bio-mass, life influenced ‘people like stories’.2 In other words, as Robert Hazen says in an interview.2,3 crystals and minerals in their evolution. the dry language of crystallography Thus the grand rug of Darwinian Can it get better for evolutionists? Yes, and mineralogy has no appeal to evolution is extended to cover since they now see this new approach the great public, but by turning it mineralogy and implicitly geology. as a valuable addition to exobiology, into yet another, familiar-sounding, A closer analysis of this new idea and the search for extraterrestrial life. All evolution story, minerals become alive! the way it is being pushed, One cannot help but wonder portrays all the ingredients whether mineralogists are of a political agenda that seeking to increase their seeks the ever increasing research funds through this integration that the secular type of hype. academic establishment forces upon scientists, a form ρ=3.61 What is not being said of academic communism. Kyanite Technically, there is Al[6] Al[6]SiO What is being said? 5 hardly anything new in all Triclinic this hype. That minerals The contention is that have changed over time is throughout the history of the something well-understood earth, minerals have changed. ρ=3.24 because petrology, the study This change is equated to Sillimanite of the rocks, is built on the ‘evolution’ (which in fact [6] [4] idea of chemical changes Al Al SiO5 means ‘change over time’), Orthorhombic over time. Although riddled although not a Darwinian ρ=3.15 with contradictions, the Great Andalusite 7 concept of evolution because Al[6] Al[5]SiO Oxidation Event (GOE) was ‘minerals do not mutate’.2 Orthorhombic5 always seen as the source Mineral species are always of the first oxidic minerals, the same; they do not even if carbonate rocks, change over time.2 Yet, as which contain oxygen, exist the dynamic earth changed that are claimed to be older in time, new minerals were than the GOE.7 However, Phase diagram for the Al2SiO5 polymorphs. Kyanite will react to form formed and, because at sillimanite with increasing temperature or with decreasing pressure no-one thought to link it to some point life significantly (as the arrows show). The light triangular field at the bottom is the life within an evolutionary changed the conditions on stability field for andalusite. scenario. 10 JOURNAL OF CREATION 23(1) 2009 Perspectives Hazen and his team avoid taking taxa, not by merging two or more Panderichthys—a the evolutionary analogy further, taxa into one. By leaving things at although the ingredients are there! the shallowest level possible, Hazen fish with fingers? When claiming mineral species do not & Co. hope to blaze the trail toward change over time, he is only telling integration into either ‘geobiology’ or Shaun Doyle half of the story. There are minerals ‘biogeology’! known as structural polymorphs, an Is this a new challenge to nce more, fish-to-tetrapod example of which is the andalusite- 1–2 silimanite series.8 Although there young-earth creation models? Oevolution is paraded around, are several different minerals in this this time with a study suggesting Not really. If there is a challenge, the replacement of Tiktaalik, the series, they are all formed from the it’s mostly a methodological one. icon of fish–tetrapod evolution, with same three chemical elements: Al, ‘Integration’ seems to be the battle cry of Si and O in the empirical formula the evolutionary establishment but the the 90–130-cm-long Panderichthys rhombolepis. However, Panderichthys Al2SiO5. Temperature and pressure shallowness of this new idea provides control the structural layout of these excellent grounds for creationists to isn’t exactly new; it was actually chemical elements thus determining dismantle it and by consequence further named in 1941.3 And it’s supposedly the mineral species: distene or kyanite expose the fallacies of Darwinian older too: 385 million years (Ma) old ( Al2[SiO4]O ), andalusite (Al2[SiO4]O) evolution. As for the deeper meaning in comparison to Tiktaalik, which is and sillimanite (Al[AlSiO5] (figure 1). of all this, we have yet another proof supposedly 380 Ma old. However, This should have been proudly added of God’s integrated creation, all parts a recent study has suggested that by Hazen to his evolutionary analogies of it working together, from minerals Panderichthys’ fin may be closer as a case of homology. to humans: ‘For the invisible things to tetrapods in morphology than Hazen is actually wrong when of Him from the creation of the world Tiktaalik,4 although evolutionary affirming that mineral species don’t are clearly seen, being understood theory would predict that tetrapod change: minerals actually do change by the things that are made…’ over time if they are exposed to (Romans 1:20). characteristics would be more recent. different physical and chemical conditions. Muscovite—a mica— References Fishing for fingers ( K2Al4[Al2Si6](OH, F)4 ) in the 1. Hazen, R.M. et al., Mineral evolution, Boisvert et al. have based their presence of CO2-rich water loses K American Mineralogist 93(11–12):1693–1720, analysis on the pectoral fin of one and F and transforms into kaolinite 2008. particular Panderichthys fossil, which ( Al [SiO ](OH) ). Darwin initially 2. Hazen, R., Mineral evolution, Carnegie 4 10 8 they reconstructed from a CT scan called this idea ‘transformism’. But Institute for Science, Geophysical laboratory, study of the fossil, which they then by adding oxygen to an existing November 2008, <videos.ciw.edu/achilles_ movies_download/mineral_evolution.mov>. mineral and forming a new mineral, used to reconstruct a 3D image of the what actually changes? One mineral 3. Mineral kingdom has co-evolved with life, fossil fin. Panderichthys was found scientists find, Science News, <www.sciencedaily. to have multiple ‘digits’ at the end into another! In a process known com/releases/2008/11/081113181035.htm>, 1 as ‘dolomitization’, the addition of September 2009. of the bony part of the pectoral fin similar to Tiktaalik’s, which Boisvert magnesium to calcite (CaCO3) changes 4. Clay material may have acted as ‘primordial et al. made out to be homologous with it into dolomite ( CaMg(CO3)2 ). womb’ for first organic molecules, According to Hazen’s evolutionary Science News, <www.sciencedaily.com/ digits on tetrapod limbs (figure 1). analogy, this should be defined as releases/2005/11/051112125422.htm>, 1 5 September 2009. Aside from the general biological and mineral evolution by mutation; it theological6 problems with excluding 5. Hansma, H.G., Granny says life evolved also exhibits natural selection since between the mica sheets, Live Science, <www. common design, Panderichthys is still the minerals have ‘adapted’ to new livescience.com/strangenews/080314-bts- unequivocally a fish with fins. chemical conditions! hansma.html>, 1 September 2009. The small distal bones found How could Hazen miss this? 6. Goldblatt, C., Lenton, T.M. and Watson, between Panderichthys and Tiktaalik Maybe he didn’t and just skillfully A.J., Bistability of atmospheric oxygen and are nothing in comparison to the avoided taking the analogy too far for the Great Oxidation, Nature 443(7112):683– 686,12 Oct. 2006. changes that need to be made between it should be obvious that this is not what Darwin meant by ‘evolution’! 7. Tapp, B., Origin of oxygen more complex than either of them and a limb, as one of imagined, Journal of Creation 21(2):3, 2007, the co-authors of the Nature paper, Per Darwinian evolution proceeds by <creation.com/content/view/6173>.
Recommended publications
  • ATTACHMENT, SELECTION, and TRANSFORMATION of PREBIOTIC MOLECULES on BRUCITE [Mg(OH)2]
    ATTACHMENT, SELECTION, AND TRANSFORMATION OF PREBIOTIC MOLECULES ON BRUCITE [Mg(OH)2] AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR CHEMICAL EVOLUTION AT HYDROTHERMAL SYSTEMS by Charlene F. Estrada A dissertation submitted to The Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Baltimore, Maryland September, 2014 Charlene F. Estrada All rights reserved Abstract Serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal vents may have been plausible environments for the origins of life. Mineral assemblages within hydrothermal fields may have selected and concentrated biomolecules, although little is known about molecular interactions at these mineral surfaces. I investigated the adsorption of aspartate and ribose at the surface of brucite [Mg(OH)2], a major mineral phase at serpentinite-hosted hydrothermal vents. I characterized the attachment of these molecules onto a synthetic brucite powder with Mg2+ and Ca2+ using batch adsorption experiments. I observed that Mg2+ inhibits both aspartate and ribose adsorption, whereas Ca2+ enhances adsorption onto the brucite surface. I used surface complexation modeling to predict that both aspartate and ribose attach as cooperative calcium-ligand complexes onto brucite. To further investigate the cooperative effect of Ca2+ on biomolecule adsorption, I introduced an equimolar mixture of aspartate, glycine, lysine, leucine, and phenylalanine to the brucite surface, both with and without Ca2+. Without Ca2+, up to 8.9 % aspartate and ~5 % each of the remaining four amino acids adsorbed onto brucite. When Ca2+ was added, I observed that between 5.7 to 20 times more aspartate (37.3 %) adsorbed onto brucite compared with the remaining four amino acids (~3 % each). These results, when combined with the previous study, suggest that aspartate selectively adsorbs onto brucite as a cooperative calcium-aspartate complex.
    [Show full text]
  • Getting Beyond the Toy Domain. Meditations on David Deamer's
    Getting beyond the toy domain: meditations on David Deamer’s “Assembling Life” The MIT Faculty has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters. Citation Bains, William, "Getting beyond the toy domain: meditations on David Deamer’s 'Assembling Life.'" Life 10, 12 (Feb. 2020): no. 18 doi 10.3390/life10020018 ©2020 Author(s) As Published 10.3390/life10020018 Publisher MDPI Version Final published version Citable link https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/125661 Terms of Use Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license Detailed Terms https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ life Book Review Getting Beyond the Toy Domain. Meditations on David Deamer’s “Assembling Life” William Bains 1,2 1 Five Alarm Bio Ltd., O2h Scitech Park, Mill Lane, Hauxton, Cambridge CB22 5HX, UK; [email protected] 2 Department of Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA Received: 25 October 2019; Accepted: 15 February 2020; Published: 18 February 2020 Abstract: David Deamer has written another book, Assembling Life, on the origin of life. It is unapologetically polemic, presenting Deamer’s view that life originated in fresh water hydrothermal fields on volcanic islands on early Earth, arguing that this provided a unique environment not just for organic chemistry but for the self-assembling structure that drive that chemistry and form the basis of structure in life. It is worth reading, it is an advance in the field, but is it convincing? I argue that the Origin of Life field as a whole is unconvincing, generating results in Toy Domains that cannot be scaled to any real world scenario.
    [Show full text]
  • NASA Astrobiology Institute 2018 Annual Science Report
    A National Aeronautics and Space Administration 2018 Annual Science Report Table of Contents 2018 at the NAI 1 NAI 2018 Teams 2 2018 Team Reports The Evolution of Prebiotic Chemical Complexity and the Organic Inventory 6 of Protoplanetary Disk and Primordial Planets Lead Institution: NASA Ames Research Center Reliving the Past: Experimental Evolution of Major Transitions 18 Lead Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology Origin and Evolution of Organics and Water in Planetary Systems 34 Lead Institution: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Icy Worlds: Astrobiology at the Water-Rock Interface and Beyond 46 Lead Institution: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Habitability of Hydrocarbon Worlds: Titan and Beyond 60 Lead Institution: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory The Origins of Molecules in Diverse Space and Planetary Environments 72 and Their Intramolecular Isotope Signatures Lead Institution: Pennsylvania State University ENIGMA: Evolution of Nanomachines in Geospheres and Microbial Ancestors 80 Lead Institution: Rutgers University Changing Planetary Environments and the Fingerprints of Life 88 Lead Institution: SETI Institute Alternative Earths 100 Lead Institution: University of California, Riverside Rock Powered Life 120 Lead Institution: University of Colorado Boulder NASA Astrobiology Institute iii Annual Report 2018 2018 at the NAI In 2018, the NASA Astrobiology Program announced a plan to transition to a new structure of Research Coordination Networks, RCNs, and simultaneously planned the termination of the NASA Astrobiology Institute
    [Show full text]
  • Pincelli M. Hull [email protected] (203) 823-7985
    Yale University Department of Geology & Geophysics PO Box 208109 New Haven, CT 06520-8109 Pincelli M. Hull [email protected] (203) 823-7985 http://earth.geology.yale.edu/~ph269/ PROFESSIONAL APPOINTMENTS Assistant Professor, Yale University, Department of Geology & Geophysics July 2013 EDUCATION Yale University, Department of Geology & Geophysics April 2010 – June 2013 ! Post Doctoral Associate [mentor: Derek E. G. Briggs] Universität Konstanz, Department of Biology Oct 2010 – Aug 2011 ! Visiting Postdoctoral Researcher [mentor: Axel Meyer] Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD June 2004 – April 2010 ! PhD, Dissertation Title: Macroevolutionary patterns in planktonic foraminifera and the recovery of pelagic ecosystems from the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction ! Advisors: Richard D. Norris and Mark D. Ohman ! Committee: Peter J.S. Franks, Jeremy B.C. Jackson, Lawrence Saul, George Sugihara ! Curriculum: Biological Oceanography and Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation [IGERT Associate, Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Research and Training, NSF] Duke University Sept 1999 – June 2003 ! B.S. Biology, B.S. Earth and Ocean Sciences, German Minor Sea Education Association Spring 1999 ! College semester at sea: oceanography, nautical science, maritime history [C-163] RESEARCH INTERESTS Evolution of Oceans and Life [Paleontology, Paleoceanography, and Global Change] ! Ecological and evolutionary response of marine ecosystems to past global change ! Paleoceanographic and planktonic foraminiferal evolution in the early
    [Show full text]
  • World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) FY 2017 WPI Project Progress Report
    World Premier International Research Center Initiative (WPI) FY 2017 WPI Project Progress Report Host Institution Tokyo Institute of Technology Host Institution Head Yoshinao Mishima Research Center Earth-Life Science Institute Center Director Kei Hirose Common instructions: * Unless otherwise specified, prepare this report from the timeline of 31 March 2018. * So as to base this fiscal year’s follow-up review on the “last” center project, please prepare this report from the perspective of the latest project plan. * Use yen (¥) when writing monetary amounts in the report. If an exchange rate is used to calculate the yen amount, give the rate. * Please prepare this report within 10-20 pages (excluding the appendices, and including Summary of State of WPI Center Project Progress (within 2 pages)). Summary of State of WPI Center Project Progress (write within 2 pages) 1. Conducting research of the highest world level In FY2017, ELSI members contributed to the publication of thematic issues in Geoscience Frontiers (titled “Frontiers in early Earth history and primordial life”) and Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences (titled “Re-conceptualizing the origins of life”), which illustrates ELSI is recognized as a leading institute in the study of the early Earth and the emergence of life on the Earth. New and original ideas, scenarios, theories, and technical advances that have been cultivated at ELSI over the past years were presented, such as messy chemistry. The following are representative research topics and highlights that have advanced at ELSI in FY2017. Compositional evolution of the Earth’s core: PI Hirose, PI Hernlund, and PI Helffrich revealed that SiO2 crystallization in the core is an alternative mechanism for core convection to thermal convection (Hirose et al., 2017 Nature; Hirose et al., 2017 Science).
    [Show full text]
  • 041-2011-Abstracts-BOE-III-Crete.Pdf
    Boreskov Institute of Catalysis of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia Borissiak Paleontological Institute of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia III International Conference “Biosphere Origin and Evolution” RETHYMNO, CRETE, GREECE OCTOBER 16-20, 2011 ABSTRACTS Novosibirsk, 2011 © Boreskov Institute of Catalysis, 2011 INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE Alexei Rozanov, Borissiak Paleontological Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia Co‐Chairman Georgii Zavarzin, Institute of Microbiology RAS, Moscow, Russia Co‐Chairman Vadim Agol Moscow State University, Russia Yury Chernov Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Moscow, Russia Institute of Protein Research RAS, Pushchino, Moscow region, Alexander Chetverin Russia David Deamer Biomolecular Engineering, School of Engineering, Santa Cruz, USA V.S. Sobolev Institute of Geology and Mineralogy SB RAS, Nikolay Dobretsov Novosibirsk, Russia Mikhail Fedonkin Geological Institute RAS, Moscow, Russia Siegfried Franck Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany V.I. Vernadskii Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry Eric Galimov RAS, Moscow, Russia Mikhail Grachev Limnological Institute SB RAS, Irkutsk, Russia Richard Hoover Nasa Marshall Space Flight Ctr., Huntsville, USA North‐Western Scientific Center RAS, St. Petersburg State Sergey Inge‐Vechtomov University, Russia Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum‐Gas Geology and Geophysics Alexander Kanygin SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia Astrospace Centre of Lebedev Physical Institute RAS, Moscow, Nikolay Kardashev Russia Józef Kaźmierczak Institute of Paleobiology PAN, Warsaw, Poland Nikolay Kolchanov Institute of Cytology and Genetics SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia Trofimuk Institute of Petroleum‐Gas Geology and Geophysics Alexei Kontorovich SB RAS, Novosibirsk, Russia National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library Eugene V.
    [Show full text]
  • Biology Curricula at Universities
    Biology curricula at universities European Communities Biologists Association ECBA publication No 1 Biology curricula at universities Report of a Workshop organized by the European Communities Biologists Association Index 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................... 4 2. OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP......................................................................................................... 5 3. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ................................................................................................................. 6 4. THE BASIC TRAINING BIOLOGISTS PRIOR TO SPECIALIZATION .................................................. 8 4.1. INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................................... 8 4.2. TOPICS TO BE INCLUDED IN THE CENTRAL CORE-PROGRAM................................................................... 8 4.3. SKILLS AND ATTITUDES....................................................................................................................... 10 5. THE PHASE OF SPECIALIZATION (INTO PROFESSION)................................................................... 12 5.1. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................................... 12 5.2. FURTHER TRAINING IN RESEARCH ......................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Summer 1987 Summer 1987 NSU Oceanographic Center
    Nova Southeastern University NSUWorks Currents Publications by HCNSO Summer 1987 Summer 1987 NSU Oceanographic Center Follow this and additional works at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_currents Part of the Marine Biology Commons, and the Oceanography and Atmospheric Sciences and Meteorology Commons NSUWorks Citation NSU Oceanographic Center, "Summer 1987" (1987). Currents. 90. https://nsuworks.nova.edu/occ_currents/90 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Publications by HCNSO at NSUWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Currents by an authorized administrator of NSUWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CENTER FACULTY FROM THE PURSUE DIVERSE STUDIES IN DIRECTOR OCEANOGRAPHY The Oceanographic Center of Nova University has a rich history In the' beginning, under the that goes back to its founding in directorship of the late Dr. William 1966 by Dr. WilliamS. Richardson, our faculty were Richardson the first director. predominantly physical The laborat~ry prospered until oceanographers. In fact, our tragedy struck in 1975, w~en Dr. -' ~ / original name was the Physical Richardson and four associates Dr. Julian P. McCreary Oceanographic Laboratory (fondly were lost at sea while conducting provided by highly competitive known as "The Lab"). In the late an open-ocean experiment off the l'Os our name was changed to the grants from such agencies as the coast of Maine. This tragic event National Science Foundation, the Ocean Sciences Center, and the was the first fatal oceanographic nature of our research changed as Office of Naval Research, NOAA, accident in history, and it sent NASA, and the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Volcano Outdoor School Activities
    VOLCANO OUTDOOR SCHOOL ACTIVITIES GRADE LEVEL TIME TEACHING Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) ACTIVITY NAME SUBJECT SCIENCE & ENGINEERING CROSSCUTTING (min) METHOD 2-5 6-8 9-12 DISCIPLINARY CORE IDEAS PRACTICES CONCEPTS Lava Races 15 game ✔ ✔ ✔ N/A ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Structure and Function 1980 Eruption Story 30 interactive lecture, Q&A ✔ ✔ ✔ N/A ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth Stability and Change Eruption: The Musical 15 dramatization ✔ N/A ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth Stability and Change Plate Tectonics 30 cooperative learning ✔ ✔ Analyzing and Interpreting Data ESS2.B: Plate Tectonics and Large-scale Patterns systems interactions Recipe for a Mineral 30 game, model building ✔ ✔ ✔ N/A ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Patterns Reflections & Journaling 20 observations, journaling ✔ ✔ ✔ N/A ESS2.E: Biogeology, LS2.C: Ecosystem Cause and Effect Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience Rock Investigation 20 observations ✔ ✔ Obtaining, Evaluating and ESS2.A: Earth Materials and Systems Patterns Communicating Information 1980 Eruption Skits 60 dramatization, game ✔ ✔ ✔ N/A ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth Cause and Effect Hazard Mapping 120 cooperative learning , ✔ ✔ Constructing Explanations and ESS2.E: Biogeology, LS2.C: Ecosystem Patterns, Cause and Effect issue based inquiry Designing Solutions Dynamics, Functioning and Resilience In the Vicinity 120 group discussion, issue- ✔ ✔ ✔ Analyzing and Interpreting Data, ESS1.C: The History of Planet Earth; ESS3.B: Patterns, Stability and Change based inquiry
    [Show full text]
  • Robert T Downs
    Curriculum Vitae – Robert T. Downs 1 Field of Specialization: The crystallography and spectroscopy of minerals, with emphasis on crystal chemistry, bonding, temperature and pressure effects, characterization and identification. Contact Information: Dr Robert T Downs Department of Geosciences Voice: 520-626-8092 Gould-Simpson Building Lab: 520-626-3845 University of Arizona Fax: 520-621-2672 Tucson Arizona 85721-0077 [email protected] Education: University of British Columbia 1986 B.S. Mathematics Virginia Tech 1989 M.S. Geological Sciences Virginia Tech 1992 Ph.D. Geological Sciences Graduate Advisors: G.V. Gibbs (Mineralogy) and M.B. Boisen, Jr. (Mathematics) Carnegie Institution of Washington, Geophysical Laboratory, 1993 – 1996 Post-doc Advisors: R.M. Hazen and L.W. Finger Academic and Professional Appointments: Assistant Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, August 1996 – 2002 Associate Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, 2002 – 2008 Professor, Department of Geosciences, University of Arizona, 2008 – present Assistant to curator Joe Nagel: University of British Columbia, 1985 Assistant to curator Gary Ansell: National Mineral Collections of Canada, 1986 Assistant to curator Susan Eriksson: Virginia Tech Museum of Geological Sciences, 1990 Graduate teaching assistant: Virginia Tech, 1988 – 1992 Pre-doctoral Fellowship: Carnegie Institution of Washington, Geophysical Laboratory, 1991 Post-doctoral Fellowship: CIW, Geophysical Laboratory, February 1993 – July 1996 Visiting Professor,
    [Show full text]
  • Fossil and Living Cycads Say No More Megasporophylls
    hology orp a Miao et al., J Morphol Anat 2017, 1:2 nd M f A o n l a a t n o r m u y o J Journal of Morphology and Anatomy Research Article Article Open Access Fossil and Living Cycads Say "No More Megasporophylls" Yuyan Miao1,2, Zhong-Jian Liu3, Meina Wang3,4 and Xin Wang5* 1Beijing Museum of Natural History, Beijing, China 2State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences (Wuhan), Wuhan, China 3Shenzhen Key Laboratory for Orchid Conservation and Utilization, National Orchid Conservation Center of China and Orchid Conservation and Research Center of Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China 4College of Landscape Architecture, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China 5CAS Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Paleogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, Nanjing, China Abstract The origins of angiosperms and cycads are still mysterious. To understand the evolution of these groups as well as other gymnosperms it was impossible without mentioning a frequently used term “megasporophyll”. “Megasporophyll” is a concept that has been used widely in botany. This term is more or less related with the famous saying “Alles ist Blatt” by Goethe. This term became popular since Arber and Parkin hypothesized that the carpels in the Magnoliales were equivalent to and derived from former foliar parts bearing ovules along their margins (“megasporophyll”). Many botanists uncritically called the parts in all the reproductive organs of seed plants as “sporophylls”, no matter what they actually saw in the plants. However, the fact is that none of the reproductive parts (fossil or living), except those in the Cycadales, are foliar or leaf-like.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Oceanography, Number 08
    No. 8 September, 1996 CONTENTS EDITORIAL..................................................................................................................... 1 ARTICLES The German Challenger of Neptune.................................................................................. 3 What’s in a name? - C.W. Baillie....................................................................................... 7 FROM THE SIO ARCHIVES.......................................................................................... 9 NATIONAL CATALOGUING CENTRE FOR ARCHIVES OF CONTEMPORARY SCIENTISTS................................................................................................................... 11 NEWS AND EVENTS..................................................................................................... 12 BOOK NOTICE Ancient Chinese Marine Culture........................................................................................ 13 MEETINGS AND CONFERENCES................................................................................ 13 BIBLIOGRAPHY AND BIOGRAPHY............................................................................ 14 INTERNATIONAL UNION of the HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE DIVISION OF HISTORY OF SCIENCE COMMISSION OF OCEANOGRAPHY President Emeritus Prof. Jean THEODORIDES 16 Square Port Royal F-75013 Paris (France) President Prof. Eric Mills Department of Oceanography Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1 CANADA Vice President Dr. Margaret B. DEACON Department of Oceanography, The
    [Show full text]