FossilDAWG Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 A new paper just published in Nature describes the first complete skull of the Cretaceous bird Ichthyornis, and how it illustrates the evolution of the head of modern birds. News story here. Also NPR story here. Nature article here for those who have access. The fossil is so delicate it remains encased in a block of chalk. The fossil was "prepped" via CT scan which revealed the most minute details. Don Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Great Googly Moogly! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tidgy's Dad Posted May 2, 2018 Share Posted May 2, 2018 Fascinating stuff. As a bird brain myself, this is important research. Life's Good! Tortoise Friend. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KansasFossilHunter Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Great article by John Pickrell of National Geographic about a new publication in the journal Nature on a specimen I discovered and donated in 2014: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/05/fossil-bird-skull-3d-dinosaurs-evolution-paleontology-science/ I was out hunting the chalk with a friend on the Sunday before I would start school at Fort Hays State when I found the specimen in this paper. I didn’t immediately recognize the bones as those from a bird. However, I did see how the bones weathered differently than most fish bones do. I decided to cut out a medium slab of chalk and take it back to my dorm room so I could prepare the bones in a better work place with better tools. At that point I still wasn’t entirely sure what I had, but the more I looked at the few exposed bones, the more excited I got. Back in my dorm room, I used a soft brush and small amounts of water to carefully expose the shape of each bone. I really got excited as the complete sternum, coracoid and jaw elements came into view! The specimen was discovered August 17 2014, which is almost four years ago now! I also met with Dr. Laura Wilson the next day (my first day of college) and I agreed to donate the specimen to the Sternberg Museum in Hays. The specimen was first scanned at the Hays Medical Center and we then began to map the bones to get an idea of how much of the specimen was present. During this same time I had reached out to Dr. Dave Burnham at the University of Kansas. Dave then sent pictures to Daniel Field who, along with others researchers from Yale and elsewhere, would perform additional scanning and create a fantastic 3-D model of the skull. The article does an excellent job covering the history of Ichthyornis discoveries and the importance of this genus. Here is the list of authors: Department of Geology & Geophysics and Peabody Museum of Natural History, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA Daniel J. Field, Michael Hanson & Bhart-Anjan S. Bhullar Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA David Burnham & Kristopher Super Sternberg Museum of Natural History and Department of Geosciences, Fort Hays State University, Hays, KS, USA Laura E. Wilson & Kristopher Super Alabama Museum of Natural History, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA Dana Ehret McWane Science Center, Birmingham, AL, USA Jun A. Ebersole Department of Biology & Biochemistry, Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK Daniel J. Field Link to the paper in Nature: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0053-y Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 How birds got their beaks - new fossil evidence https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-43981165 fossils like this are "As rare as hens' teeth," Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doushantuo Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ludwigia Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Congratulations on that, Kris. It was well worth the wait, although 4 years is quite alright, taking into account the time needed to complete the research. I found and donated a croc jaw section 12 years ago and they still haven't gotten around to even researching it. How is it going with your studies? Are you starting to see any perspectives for your future career? Greetings from the Lake of Constance. Roger http://www.steinkern.de/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Dente Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Congratulations on your amazing find and donation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Topics merged. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobby Rico Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 56 minutes ago, Fossildude19 said: Topics merged. Thanks Tim I missed the first post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fossildude19 Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 No worries, Bobby. Tim - VETERAN SHALE SPLITTER VFOTM --- APRIL - 2015 __________________________________________________ "In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks." John Muir ~ ~ ~ ~ ><))))( *> About Me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Amateur Paleontologist Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Congrats, @KansasFossilHunter! That's really great Opalised fossils are the best: a wonderful mix between paleontology and mineralogy! Q. Where do dinosaurs study? A. At Khaan Academy!... My ResearchGate profile Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Auspex Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 11 hours ago, KansasFossilHunter said: I was out hunting the chalk with a friend on the Sunday before I would start school at Fort Hays State when I found the specimen in this paper. I didn’t immediately recognize the bones as those from a bird. You are the first one I thought of when this went public... Nice Shootin'! "There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant “Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley >Paleontology is an evolving science. >May your wonders never cease! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnJ Posted May 3, 2018 Share Posted May 3, 2018 Great work, again, Kris. The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true. - JJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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