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Extreme Miniaturization of a New Amniote Vertebrate and Insights Into the Evolution of Genital Size in Chameleons
www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Extreme miniaturization of a new amniote vertebrate and insights into the evolution of genital size in chameleons Frank Glaw1*, Jörn Köhler2, Oliver Hawlitschek3, Fanomezana M. Ratsoavina4, Andolalao Rakotoarison4, Mark D. Scherz5 & Miguel Vences6 Evolutionary reduction of adult body size (miniaturization) has profound consequences for organismal biology and is an important subject of evolutionary research. Based on two individuals we describe a new, extremely miniaturized chameleon, which may be the world’s smallest reptile species. The male holotype of Brookesia nana sp. nov. has a snout–vent length of 13.5 mm (total length 21.6 mm) and has large, apparently fully developed hemipenes, making it apparently the smallest mature male amniote ever recorded. The female paratype measures 19.2 mm snout–vent length (total length 28.9 mm) and a micro-CT scan revealed developing eggs in the body cavity, likewise indicating sexual maturity. The new chameleon is only known from a degraded montane rainforest in northern Madagascar and might be threatened by extinction. Molecular phylogenetic analyses place it as sister to B. karchei, the largest species in the clade of miniaturized Brookesia species, for which we resurrect Evoluticauda Angel, 1942 as subgenus name. The genetic divergence of B. nana sp. nov. is rather strong (9.9‒14.9% to all other Evoluticauda species in the 16S rRNA gene). A comparative study of genital length in Malagasy chameleons revealed a tendency for the smallest chameleons to have the relatively largest hemipenes, which might be a consequence of a reversed sexual size dimorphism with males substantially smaller than females in the smallest species. -
Science & Technology Developments
MARCH 2021 CONTENTS Cover Story - Draft national policy on migrant workers 1. ECONOMY 1.1 ESIC, other social security safety nets to cover gig economy workers 1.2 Govt. agrees to maintain States’ share in the divisible pool of taxes 1.3 ‘India’s weak fiscal position to remain a key credit challenge’ 1.4 For affluent, EPF is not nest egg but goose that lays golden eggs 1.5 Retail investors to be able to buy G-Secs directly: RBI 1.6 Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) 1.7 In PM’s words for pvt sector, India Inc sees booster shot 1.8 ‘Bad bank’ idea: Govt guarantee for ARC paper likely 1.9 RBI sets up panel for strengthening UCBs 1.10 PM reaffirms plan to include natural gas under GST regime 1.11 Cabinet approves PLI plan for telecom 1.12 Gadkari urges auto firms to raise localisation to 100% 1.13 What rise in bond yield means for investors and govt 1.14 RBI working paper defends 4% inflation target for India 2. INDIA AND WORLD 2.1 No Indian role in developing ECT in Colombo 2.2 For New Delhi, the tightrope on Myanmar is back 2.3 ECT fiasco: Indian envoy meets Gotabaya, Mahinda 2.4 ‘India ready to supply weapon systems to Indian Ocean nations’ 2.5 Ukraine looking at defence purchases from India 2.6 Israel wants India by its side against ICC ruling, Delhi silent 2.7 India is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific region, says U.S. -
A New Addition to the Cretaceous Seaway of ND
A New Addition to the Cretaceous Seaway of North Dakota Clint A. Boyd In July of 2015, 17-year-old Deborah Shepherd from Green Cove Springs, Florida was visiting the Pembina Gorge State Recreation Area in northeastern North Dakota (Cavalier County) with her family. One member of Deborah’s family had previously attended the Pembina Gorge public fossil dig, and they had brought the family up to the roadside marker near the fossil site to see the area. The group was exploring the area and had dispersed a bit when they heard Deborah excitedly call out. She came running up to the group holding a fist-sized piece of white bone encased in a crust of black shale (fig. 1). Along one side of the bone four large teeth were present. Deborah had found part of the jaw of an ancient sea monster: a mosasaur. Mosasaurs were large aquatic reptiles that lived in the oceans during the Mesozoic while dinosaurs were ruling the land. Though they lived at the same time as the dinosaurs, they are actually more closely related to snakes and monitor lizards (like the Komodo dragon) than they are to dinosaurs. They swam using four large flippers and an extremely long, stiff tail, and had to return to the surface to breathe (fig. 2), just like modern whales and dolphins. They were the top predators of the seas during their time, with some species reaching lengths Figure 2. Reconstruction of a mosasaur. Painting by Becky Barnes. of close to 50 feet and displaying teeth as large as whom, and took temporary possession of the fossil. -
Cretaceous Blog
A Quick Look at the Cretaceous World David Lillis – 13 May 2020 e-mail: [email protected] The Extent of the Cretaceous The Cretaceous Period began about 144 million years ago and terminated with the well- known asteroid impact some 66 million years ago. Geologists subdivide it into 12 stages, each defined by particular rock formations, fossils and sediments at a specific locality called the type area. Several of these type areas are located in France (e.g. Cognac, France, is the type area for the Coniacian Stage). These stages lasted for several million years each, and much geological, climatic and evolutionary change took place within each of them. Figure 1 gives the time frames of the twelve Cretaceous stages. Figure 1: The Cretaceous and its twelve stages The Cretaceous stages vary in duration but average somewhat less than seven million years. The Aptian stage has the greatest duration, at about 12 million years; while the shortest stage is the Santonian, at below three million years. The final stage is known as the Maastrichtian (approximately 6.1 million years in duration), the stage that ended with the famous asteroid impact and mass extinction of dinosaurs and other life forms. Significant rock formations or the earliest appearance of particular organisms define both the lower and upper boundaries of these stages. For example, one marker for the base of the Maastrichtrian is the earliest occurrence of a marine mollusc, the ammonite Pachydiscus fresvillensis. 1 Figure 2 shows a fossilised Pachydiscus fresvillensis from Madagascar, dated at about 69 million years. Figure 2: A Pachydiscus fresvillensis fossil, about 69 million years old The Cretaceous lies within the Mesozoic Era, which we can think of as the age of dinosaurs. -
(Chelonioidea: Cheloniidae) from the Maastrichtian of the Harrana Fauna–Jordan
Kaddumi, Gigantatypus salahi n.gen., n.sp., from Harrana www.PalArch.nl, vertebrate palaeontology, 3, 1, (2006) A new genus and species of gigantic marine turtles (Chelonioidea: Cheloniidae) from the Maastrichtian of the Harrana Fauna–Jordan H.F. Kaddumi Eternal River Museum of Natural History Amman–Jordan, P.O. Box 11395 [email protected] ISSN 1567–2158 7 figures Abstract Marine turtle fossils are extremely rare in the Muwaqqar Chalk Marl Formation of the Harrana Fauna in comparison to the relatively rich variety of other vertebrate fossils collected from this locality. This paper reports and describes the remains of an extinct marine turtle (Chelonioidea) which will be tentatively assigned to a new genus and species of marine turtles (Cheloniidae Bonaparte, 1835) Gigantatypus salahi n.gen., n.sp.. The new genus represented by a single well–preserved right humerus, reached remarkably large proportions equivalent to that of Archelon Wieland, 1896 and represents the first to be found from this deposit and from the Middle East. The specimen, which exhibits unique combinations of features is characterized by the following morphological features not found in other members of the Cheloniidae: massive species reaching over 12 feet in length; a more prominently enlarged lateral process that is situated more closely to the head; a ventrally situated capitellum; a highly laterally expanded distal margin. The presence of these features may warrant the placement of this new species in a new genus. The specimen also retains some morphological features found in members of advanced protostegids indicating close affinities with the family. Several bite marks on the ventral surface of the fossilized humerus indicate shark–scavenging activities of possibly Squalicorax spp. -
The Tylosaurine Mosasaurs (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe and Africa
BULLETIN DE L'INSTITUT ROYAL DES SCIENCES NATURELLES DE BELGIQUE, SCIENCES DE LA TERRE, 62: 171-194, 1992 BULLETIN VAN H ET KONINKLIJK BELGISCH INSTITUT VOOR NATUURWETENSCH APPEN, AARDWETENSCHAPPEN, 62: 171-194, 1992 The Tylosaurine Mosasaurs (Reptilia, Mosasauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous of Europe and Africa by THEAGARTEN LINGHAM-SOLIAR Abstract La biomécanique du crâne des tylosauriens est examinée principale• ment suite à l'hypothèse selon laquelle le grand rostre servait à atta• quer les proies (RUSSELL, 1967). Divers autres aspects du comporte• This study represents the first relatively extensive description of the ment prédateur des tylosauriens sont aussi mentionnés. PUUM Hainosaurus Dono, 1885. The description of H. bernardi DOLLO, 1885 is based on the holotype and on a previously undescri- Mots-clefs: Hainosaurus, Tylosaurus, Leiodon, prédation, plongée. bed specimen. A new specimen of H. gaudryi (THEVENIN, 1896) from France is also described. Mosasaurus iembeensis TELLES-ANTUNES, 1964, from the Turonian of Angola is reassigned to the genus Tylosau• rus MARSH, 1872. The only other tylosaurine species from Africa, T. Introduction capensis (BROOM, 1912) is also briefly described. The biomechanics of the skull of tylosaurines is examined primarily The gigantic tylosaurine Hainosaurus bernardi DOLLO, because of the hypothesis that the large rostrum was used in ramming 1885 was the first mosasaur to be discovered in Belgium. prey (RUSSELL, 1967). Various other aspects of tylosaurine predatory behaviour are also mentioned. Almost the entire skeleton was found intact, although considerably abraded, in the Ciply Phosphatic Chalk in Key-words: Hainosaurus, Tylosaurus, Leiodon, ramming, ambush- a region known as "La Malogne" (Fig.l). -
A Mosasaur from the Lewis Shale
(1974)recently reported a number of ammo- nites and other invertebratesfrom the Lewis A mosasaurfrom the Lewis Shale Shale along the easternedge of the San Juan Basin. UNM-V-070 is southeastof their lo- (UpperGretaceous), northwestern cality D4l5l and northeastof their locality D5067. Both D4l5l and D5087 are strati- graphically higher in the Lewis Shale than NewMexico Uf.ftU-V-OZOand are placed by Cobban and History,Yale University' others (1974) in the Late Campanian Didy- by'NewHaven,CT,andPeterK.Reser,OiiartmentotAnthropology,University0fNewMexico,Albuquerque,NMSpencer G Lucas,Department of Geology and Geophysics and Peabody Museum of Natural mocerascheyennense ammonite zone. Prob- ably UNM-V-070 is Late Campanianin age (no older strata are known in the Lewis Shale) Mosasaursare an extinct group of giant The following abbreviationsare usedin the (Cobban and others, 1974)and older than the a marinelizards that flourishedduring the Late text: AMNH-Department of VertebratePa- D. cheyennense zone. Unfortunately, out- Cretaceous. Their fossilized remains are leontology, American Museum of Natural diligent searchof the limited Lewis Shale yielded un- known from all the continentsexcept Antarc- History, New York; UNM-Department of crops around UNM-V-070 only tica; the largestand best known collections Geology,University of New Mexico, Albu- diagnostic fragments of inoceramid shells; precisely come from the Niobrara Formation in Kan- querque;YPM-Peabody Museumof Natural hence,its age cannot be more deter- sas. Although marine sediments of Late History,Yale University, New Haven. mined. cretaceousage are exposedthroughout large areas of New Mexico, only three mosasaur LewisShale and its fauna specimenshave previously been reported from The Lewis Shale was named by Cross and the state. -
I Exploring the Relationship Between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving
Exploring the Relationship between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving Behavior, and Size Variation of the Parietal Eye in Mosasaurs By Andrew M. Connolly Submitted to the graduate degree program in Geology and the Graduate Faculty of the University of Kansas in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts. __________________________________ Stephen T. Hasiotis, Chairperson __________________________________ Rafe M. Brown __________________________________ Jennifer A. Roberts Date Defended: March 25, 2016 i The Thesis Committee for Andrew M. Connolly certifies that this is the approved version of the following thesis: Exploring the Relationship between Paleobiogeography, Deep-Diving Behavior, and Size Variation of the Parietal Eye in Mosasaurs __________________________________ Stephen T. Hasiotis, Chairperson Date Approved: March 25, 2016 ii ABSTRACT Andrew M. Connolly, M.S. Department of Geology, March 2015 University of Kansas The parietal eye (PE) in modern squamates (Reptilia) plays a major role in regulating body temperature, maintaining circadian rhythms, and orientation via the solar axis. This study is the first to determine the role, if any, of the PE in an extinct group of lizards. We analyzed variation in relative size of the parietal foramen (PF) of five mosasaur genera to explore the relationship between PF size and paleolatitudinal distribution. We also surveyed the same specimens for the presence of avascular necrosis—a result of deep- diving behavior—in the vertebrae. Plioplatecarpus had the largest PF followed by Platecarpus, Tylosaurus, Mosasaurus, and Clidastes. A weak relationship exists between paleolatitudinal distribution and PF size among genera, as Plioplatecarpus had the highest paleolatitudinal distribution (~78°N) and the largest PF among genera. -
Giant Mosasaurus Hoffmanni (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Penza, Russia
Proceedings of the Zoological Institute RAS Vol. 318, No. 2, 2014, рр. 148–167 УДК 568.113.3 GIANT MOSASAURUS HOFFMANNI (SQUAMATA, MOSASAURIDAE) FROM THE LATE CRETACEOUS (MAASTRICHTIAN) OF PENZA, RUSSIA D.V. Grigoriev Saint Petersburg State University, Universitetskaya Emb. 7-9, 199034 Saint Petersburg, Russia; e-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT This study provides a morphological description of the fragmentary skull of a mosasaur discovered in 1927 in the Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) deposits in the city of Penza (Russia). Some bones from the original material had been lost since their discovery; their description is based on plaster casts. The Penza mosasaur displays characteristic features of Mosasaurus hoffmanni such as the posterior carina that shifts from a somewhat lateral position in the anterior teeth to a posterior position further along the tooth row, a frontal with convex lateral margins, and a powerfully built dentary. This is the first unequivocal record of this taxon from Russia. M. hoffmanni from the Penza is one of the largest mosasaurs ever known with an overall length of the body about 17 m. Key words: Maastrichtian, Cretaceous, Penza, Mosasaurus hoffmanni, Mosasauridae ГИГАНТСКИЙ MOSASAURUS HOFFMANNI (SQUAMATA, MOSASAURIDAE) ИЗ ПОЗДНЕГО МЕЛА (МААСТРИХТА) ПЕНЗЫ, РОССИЯ Д.В. Григорьев Санкт-Петербургский Государственный Университет, Университетская наб. 7-9, 199034 Санкт-Петербург, Россия; e-mail: [email protected] РЕЗЮМЕ Приведено детальное морфологическое описание фрагментарного черепа мозазавра, найденного в 1927 г. в верхнемеловых отложениях (маастрихт) г. Пенза, Россия. Часть оригинальных костей была впоследствии утрачена; их описание выполнено по сохранившимся гипсовым слепкам. На основании изменения положе- ния зубной карины от передних к задним зубам, лобной кости с выгнутыми боковыми сторонами и массив- ных зубных костей пензенская особь отнесена к Mosasaurus hoffmanni. -
Department of Microbiology School of Health Sciences the Assam Kaziranga University Page No
Department Of Microbiology School Of Health Sciences The Assam Kaziranga University Page no. 2 The Microcosm EDITORIAL BOARD CHIEF ADVISOR Dr. Suryakanta Swain Professor and Associate Dean School of Health Sciences, “We cannot fathom the marvelous The Assam Kaziranga University complexity of an organic being; but on the ADVISOR hypothesis here advanced this complexity is much increased. Each living creature must Dr. Pinky Moni Bhuyan be looked at as a microcosm--a little universe, formed of a host of self- Asst. Professor and H.O.D, propagating organisms, inconceivably Department of Microbiology minute and as numerous as the stars in School of Health Sciences, heaven.” The Assam Kaziranga University ~Charles Darwin EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Porikhit Borpujari It is with immense pleasure and pride that we are CO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF presenting the 1st edition of “The Microcosm” to the esteemed readers. “The Microcosm” is a quarterly newsletter of Department of Nikita Chetia and Panchi Borthakur Microbiology, School of Health Sciences The Assam Kaziranga University. It is an initiative DESIGN & LAYOUT taken to impart information and facilitate Rashmi Dubey and Porikhit Borpujari communication related to latest discoveries in the incredible field of Biology. The main motto of this newsletter is to cultivate scientific research CONTRIBUTORS aptitude within the postgraduate students and to highlight the efforts put forwarded by the Darshana Gogoi, Juri Kalita, Anuska students of the Department. Sarmah, Mridusmita Rabha, Ankita Rajkhowa, Nikita Chetia, Rashmi I want to thank all of the members of the Dubey, Porikhit Borpujari, Panchi Editorial Board who have contributed immensely for this newsletter. Borthakur and Dr. -
Contents Feb
Contents FEB. 12, 2021 (click on page numbers for links) CONTACT US REGULATORY UPDATE subscribers@chemwatch. ASIA PACIFIC net Workplace exposure standard review .......................................................................4 tel +61 3 9572 4700 Model WHS Act comparison table now available ..................................................5 fax +61 3 9572 4777 Andrews government taken to court over West Gate Tunnel soil ...................6 1227 Glen Huntly Rd AMERICA Glen Huntly Three must-haves for managing these common hazardous- Victoria 3163 Australia materials returns ................................................................................................................7 Canada plastics pact launched .....................................................................................8 EPA announces approval of extensions to August 24, 2020, first- ever long-lasting antiviral product for use against COVID-19 ..........................9 EUROPE GB PIC: Annual reporting of exports and imports ...............................................10 Ventilation and air conditioning during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ...........................................................................................................................11 * While Chemwatch EU launches beating cancer plan ..............................................................................12 has taken all efforts to INTERNATIONAL ensure the accuracy PAC launches PIP 360° benchmarking tool ............................................................13 -
A New High-Latitude Tylosaurus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from Canada with Unique
A new high-latitude Tylosaurus (Squamata, Mosasauridae) from Canada with unique dentition A thesis submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Cincinnati in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the Department of Biological Sciences of the College of Arts and Sciences by Samuel T. Garvey B.S. University of Cincinnati B.S. Indiana University March 2020 Committee Chair: B. C. Jayne, Ph.D. ABSTRACT Mosasaurs were large aquatic lizards, typically 5 m or more in length, that lived during the Late Cretaceous (ca. 100–66 Ma). Of the six subfamilies and more than 70 species recognized today, most were hydropedal (flipper-bearing). Mosasaurs were cosmopolitan apex predators, and their remains occur on every continent, including Antarctica. In North America, mosasaurs flourished in the Western Interior Seaway, an inland sea that covered a large swath of the continent between the Gulf of Mexico and the Arctic Ocean during much of the Late Cretaceous. The challenges of paleontological fieldwork in high latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere have biased mosasaur collections such that most mosasaur fossils are found within 0°–60°N paleolatitude, and in North America plioplatecarpine mosasaurs are the only mosasaurs yet confirmed to have existed in paleolatitudes higher than 60°N. However, this does not mean mosasaur fossils are necessarily lacking at such latitudes. Herein, I report on the northernmost occurrence of a tylosaurine mosasaur from near Grande Prairie in Alberta, Canada (ca. 86.6–79.6 Ma). Recovered from about 62°N paleolatitude, this material (TMP 2014.011.0001) is assignable to the subfamily Tylosaurinae by exhibiting a cylindrical rostrum, broadly parallel-sided premaxillo-maxillary sutures, and overall homodonty.