This is Throwback Thursday #218. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc ...), please sent them to [email protected]. Thanks!
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This was originally posted as Flashback Friday #16. It was part of the run up to ESCONI's 70's Anniversary in 2019. We are getting close to ESCONI's 75th Anniversary later this year, so it's time to revive a few of these posts.
Notice the story below about the 11th specimen of Archaeopteryx.
Field volunteer Karen Nordquist discovered the tiny teeth by meticulously searching, or microsorting, the leftover matrix that was kept from SUE’s discovery.
Karen Nordquist's monthly column in "The Earth Science News" started as "DINO News" in January 1998 and continued under that name until December 1999. In January 2000, the column changed name to "Karen's Komments" as it continued as a regular feature in the newsletter until December 2017. Her column was always interesting. During this time, Karen served many different board positions with ESCONI, including president from 2001-2003 and again from 2009-2014. That is by far the longest tenure as president! She submitted various study group reports for a long time. By the way, Karen is one of a bunch of ESCONI members who have a species of animal or plant named after them, details are here and here. Karen has been instrumental to ESCONI's success over the years. We thank you very very much for your service!
Here are a few select entries from "Karen's Komments". Enjoy!
Quadrupedal Liftoff for Large Pterosaurs
There has been uncertainty about how the large pterosaurs left the ground – on two legs or four legs? They could weigh up to 70 kgs (154 pounds) with a wingspan of 35 feet. Now a new study by Michael Habib of Johns Hopkins University analyzes the bone strength of three pterosaur species with those of 20 bird species and does the math. He finds that the femur is proportionately thicker than the humerus in heavier birds which need more muscle to take off. The forelimbs of pterosaurs are even more robust indicating that they probably used them for take off. This was with no wind and no cliffs. They hope to find pterosaur footprints to confirm this theory. The drawing at left is of 40 foot tall Hatzegotpteryx with a 30 foot flying pteranodon and human for scale is by Mark Witton. (Habib et al in Zitteliana)
Study of Feeding Behavior of Terror Bird – Andalgalornis
The terror bird Andalgalornis steulleti lived in South America during the upper Mioce-lower Pliocene (about 6 mya) and was a medium sized phorususrhacid of about 40 km body mass with an average height of 1.4 m (4.5 ft.) and 370 mm (15 inches) long total skull length. They were a top predator that hunted and scavenged along with carnivorous placental mammals of the time. While several skull bones of extant birds can be moved relative to the braincase, the bones of this terror bird suggest that they had lost mobility. The skull studied in this report is that of FMNH P14357 from the Field Museum which is shown in the photo above. The gray coloring shows plaster restoration. Although it did have some crushing it did show that the joint areas thick bone that would have restricted movement. This would have allowed little movement of the upper bill relative to the braincase. Other smaller phorusrhacids also show a mosaic of thickened bones indicating some reduced mobility but only the larger birds had the extensive reduction of mobility. The authors also determined an estimated bite force with other estimated bird bite forces and an estimated body mass. Based on regression analysis and with the force of an eagle at 50 N, they estimate the force of Andalgalornis at 133 N at the bill tip. The skull showed higher stress under lateral loadings and lower stress under forces applied dorsoventrally or sagitally and in pullback situations. This would suggest that it would probably hunt for prey smaller than itself rather than large struggling prey. Alternatively, it would have used multiple well targeted sagital strikes in a repeated fashion to a larger prey. (Degrange et al in PLoSOne Vol. 5/8 August 2010)
Obama has Lizard Fossil Named for Him – Obamadon
The fossil was found a year ago in eastern Montana and was named Obamadon gracilis meaning Obama’s teeth because of its tall straight teeth. It lived during the late Cretaceous and disappeared along with many others at the K/T mass extinction. It is pictured at the left front in the Cretaceous scene at left. It joins other species named for notables, including Megalonyxx jeffersonii, an extinct group sloth and three species of North American slimemold beetles Agathidium bushi, cheneyi, and rumsfeldi. (Longrich in Proc. Acad. of Sciences, 12/10/2012
New 11th Specimen of Archaeopteryx Adds Feather Information
Much has been learned about the evolution of feathers since the first of the 10 known specimens of Archaeopteryx was described. This new specimen shown here at left adds to the other feathered specimens from Berlin, London and Thermopolis. It is mostly complete with the head removed and displaced and the left wing missing. It reveals feathers along the wings and tail but also has them all over the rest of the body. There is a high degree of overlapping of the feathers, but their features can be seen in the impressions of the fossil. They are bilaterally symmetrical pennaceous feathers with long thin and slightly curved rhachides with regularly oriented barbs that form narrow vanes. Pennaceous feathers also covered the head and neck. The long hind limb feathers on the femur and tibiotarsus measure are about 40-45 mm or 1.8 inches long, shortening along the leg, with short feathers along the ankle. There are 12 primary remiges along the disarticulated wing that expand in size close to the body. There are dorsal coverts above the primaries and they are about half the length (as seen in modern birds). This finding is different from the other Archaeopteryx specimens that showed longer coverts over fewer primaries. This fossil has the only complete tail with long symmetrical feathers up to about 99-114mm or 3.9-4.5 inches long (up to 61% of the length of the bony tail). The distal end appears to be bifurcated, but this may be due to moulting. The side feathers are shorter which may have increased flying lift for the animal. Different functional aspects were probably involved in the evolution of pennaceous feathers, because they appear in various different groups. Analysis shows that pennaceous feathers probably evolved in the common ancestor of Pennaraptora with oviraptors and quickly differentiated into various sub-types in different parts of the body. This would indicate that they did not evolve for flight but may have served other biological functions –insulation, camouflage or display. (Foth et al in Nature, Vol. 511, July 3, 2014)
Neanderthal Dental Calculus DNA Reveals Behavior and Diet
This new study looked at the DNA from five specimens of Neanderthal calcified dental plaque (calculus). A sample from Spy cave, Belgium showed a diet heavy with meat that included wooly rhinoceros and wild sheep that were common in the steppe environment. Bones from such animals were also found in the cave. There was no meat detected in the diet of Neanderthals from El Sidron cave, Spain. Here instead the diet consisted of mushrooms, pine nuts, and moss typical of forest gathering. One individual from the Spanish cave also had indications of salicylic acid (aspirin active ingredient) as well as that of a natural antibiotic producing Penicillium from molded herbaceous material he had eaten. He had a dental abscess and appeared to be self-medicating. So this method enlarges the scope of information that can be obtained about diet and health of early peoples from the limited fossils that are found. (Weyrich et al in Nature, Vol. 544, April 20, 2017)
