Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois - ESCONI

Highest Dinosaur Specimen

From University of Alberta:

"... An expedition to Antarctica has finally unearthed a unique dinosaur species, that though first discovered more than 20 years ago, remained buried until now.

University of Alberta paleontologist Phil Currie has just returned from the Trans-Antarctic Mountains, straddling the Antarctic Circle, where he says the creature, a unique meat-eating dinosaur Cryolophosaurus, lived for half the year in total darkness.

The skeleton is the highest dinosaur specimen in the world; and the altitude and the cold made for a tough expedition....

Image: Jerry Fiddler (jfiddler)

And here is a video of University of Washington students talking about why they go to Antartica for fossils.

Bone Cups

Via The Guardian:

"... A macabre collection of bone cups made from human skulls, unearthed in a Somerset cave, are the oldest of their kind, researchers believe.

The extraordinary vessels are the handiwork of early modern humans, who used stone tools to prepare and finish the containers around 14,700 years ago after the last ice age.

The three cups, made from the skulls of two adults and one three-year-old child, were dug up several decades ago, alongside the cracked and cut-marked remains of animal and human bones at Gough Cave in Cheddar Gorge, south-west England. They have now been re-examined using new techniques....

.... "We assume it was some kind of ritual treatment. If there's not much food around they may have eaten their dead to survive. Perhaps they did this to honour the dead, to celebrate their lives," Stringer added...."

Image: Source=Naturgeschichte, Ein Wiederholungs- und Übungsbuch, H.Lettau, Fünfte verbesserte Auflage, Mit 378 Abbildungen im Text. Ed. Peter

BBC article

Wikipedia

Mindat Online Discussion Group

I see a number of ESCONI members on the Mindat discussion boards... good discussions... join us online at Mindat!

You can create your own home page, create a database of your collection, find information and participate in on-line auctions.

3.2 Million Year Old Bipeds with Modern Foot

 From Arizona State University via Geology.com:

"... A fossilized foot bone recovered from Hadar, Ethiopia, shows that by 3.2 million years ago human ancestors walked bipedally with a modern human-like foot, according to a report that appears in the Feb. 11 edition of the journal Science...."

Scientific American article

Ötzi the Iceman Has A New Face

 Via MetaFilter from Discovery News:

... Realized by two Dutch experts,  Alfons and Adrie Kennis, the model was produced with the latest in forensic mapping tchnology that uses three-dimensional images of the mummy's skull as well as infrared and tomographic images.... 

 

 

 

 

Image credit: Wikipedia

See the face.

Debate continues on how he died. 

Tyler Keillor - Paleoart Exhibit - Field Trip Anyone?

Interesting Chicago SunTimes article today on paleo artist, Tyler Keillor.

... Keillor created “Paleoart,” an exhibit on display through June 26 at the Lake County Discovery Museum. It includes his models of the dinosaurs Rugops and Herrerasaurus; an ancient fish called Tiktaalik; a giant prehistoric snake called Sanajeh, and a winged reptile, Rhamphorhynchus.

To give the fossil bones a shape and a face, Keillor begins with research...

 

We also posted about Tyler Keillor's exhibit on this site in November after he sent information to ESCONI about his exhibit. Back in November, Tyler wrote in his email:

"One of the items on display is a plaque I sculpted at my art booth during the ESCONI Fossilfest 2000."

At the ESCONI Board Meeting last night, Bill Vinokur brought in another article about Tyler Keillor that was in the latest issue of Prehistoric Times. Barnes and Noble is now carrying this magazine at many of their stores.

Bill suggested that the club go on a field trip to see this exhibit. So keep an eye out for this possible field trip to see Tyle Keillor's Paleoart Exhibit.

Amazing Volcanoes In China

Via the Global Times:

Five amazing volcanoes in China.

Geology of Christchurch Earthquake

ABC News video explaining geology of the awful Christchurch earthquake.

3D Fly Over with Minerva

From Arizona Geology:

"There are a great set of demos of the Minerva software application, including a 3D fly-through of the Grand Canyon, that's nicely done..."

Surfing for T Rex with the Kids

From the Boston Globe - a list of great sites for children who want to learn more about T. Rex.

 

Need Volunteers for Storage Work Day This Saturday

Work Day at the warehouse at 9:00 am on Saturday February 26. If you can volunteer, please call John Good at 630-483-2363 for directions.

Events This Week 2/21 - 2/27, 2011

Fri. 2/25	Board Meeting. 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131.
Sat. 2/26	Work Day at the warehouse at 9:00 am on Saturday February 26. Call John Good for directions. Archaeology Study Group Meeting. 7:30 p.m. College of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131.

Blacklights Show Dinosaur Feathers

Via BoingBoing:

Helmut Tischlinger is the man shaping what your children will think dinosaurs looked like. Most of you probably know that the illustrations of dinosaurs we grew up with were created through a process that includes as much speculation as science. Fossils, obviously, couldn't tell us what color T. Rex was, or whether the skin of a velociraptor felt like a lizard's—as is popularly portrayed. Tischlinger is at the forefront of efforts to improve our understanding of what dinosaurs looked like on the outside—and inside—using UV light to pick out the ephemeral remains of soft tissues. His photos—created using hand-made lens filters—are regarded as some of the best work out there.

Lizzadro Museum Renovation

Via Chicago Tribune:

The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art is planning a major renovation of a popular exhibit space and getting some help from a grant to do it.

The museum has been selected to receive a $150,000 state grant to use for capital expenses related to the project to renovate and improve its Rock and Mineral Experience exhibit, which focuses on the earth sciences, lapidary arts and science.

“I think the room (where the exhibit is housed) is neat, but the last time it was improved was in 1985 so it’s due for an upgrade,” said Dorothy Asher, the museum’s director....

Underwater Archaeology Discussion

From CSpan Video:

...a discussion on underwater exploration with oceanic archaeologist and diver Daniel Lenihan and scientist David Lawrence. Mr. Lenihan presented a slide show as part of his presentation. Mr. Lenihan is the author of Submerged published by New Market Press. Mr. Lawrence ..

Titanoceratops

Via Smithsonian.com:

Many unknown dinosaurs await discovery in rock formations all over the world, but some new species are hiding in plain sight. One such animal, described in an in-press Cretaceous Research paper, had one of the largest heads of any dinosaur....the Sam Noble specimen may not be a Pentaceratops at all. Longrich lists 22 features that distinguish the large specimen from the smaller Pentaceratops and more closely associate it with the subgroup of horned dinosaurs containing Triceratops, Torosaurus and their closest relatives (called the Triceratopsini). On this basis Longrich has called the unique specimen Titanoceratops...

Image from cosmicautumn

Google Earth Leads to 2,000 Sites of Interest

Via Newser:

It's another example in the growing field of what New Scientist dubs "armchair archeology": An Australian scientist has used Google Earth to identify nearly 2,000 sites of interest in otherwise hard-to-reach Saudi Arabia. More than half appear to be ancient tombs made of stone, though only an on-the-ground investigation can confirm.

Doing Geo-History Work in the Antartica

 Via NYTimes: Scientists At Work: Antartica: Rocks, Zircon Zapping and a Big Shrimp

... The process begins with unpacking our samples, laying them out to sort, photograph and catalog. Next we cut them all with a rock saw — like a mason’s saw, a rock saw has a circular steel blade with diamonds embedded in the cutting surface to slice through rock samples. We then make slides of the samples or microscopic study. When sliced very thin, to approximately 30 microns (a micron is one-thousandth of a millimeter), most minerals and rocks are translucent and can be observed with a polarizing microscope. We will study these “thin sections” to identify minerals and textures in the rocks that tell us something of their origin, and we will also use light microscopy and a scanning electron microscope to search for the mineral zircon....

Events for Weekend 2/18 - 2/20, 2011

Fri. 2/18 - Physics Family Science Night, Elgin Public Museum, Elgin, 6-8 PM; Fee: $2 per person, no registration required.

Sat. 2/19 - Opening of new exhibit at Burpee Museum in Rockford IL - Giants! African Dinosaurs.

Sat. 2/19 - Rock & Mineral Identification, Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art, Elmhurst, 8 yrs to adult, 10:30 am and 1:00 pm. Reservations required: (630) 833-1616.

Sat. 2/19 - Paleontology Study Group Meeting. 7:30 p.m. College  of Dupage, Building K, Rm 131. Part II: Tom Williams and John Catalano will speak about The Lower Permian.

Million Dollar Rhodochrosites at Tucson

Reports of the Tuscson Gem & Mineral Show from Arizona Geology via geology.com:

"... The public may be most dazzled by the 51 lb gold nugget from Australia, but the mineral community is agog over the "Emperor" and "Empress" rhodochrosites from China on display in the Collector's Edge booth at the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show (TM).

My inside source, code-named Deep Shaft, says the asking price for the Empress is $1.8 million while the Emperor, while not technically for sale, might be acquired for a reported staggering $8 million..."

Photo: Arizona Geology