Fossil Friday Roundup: June 9, 2017

Featured Image: The Jurassic fish Cavenderichthys from the Talbralgar Beds of Australia, shown under an Aluminum elemental map. From Frese et al. (2017).

Papers (All Open Access):

• Disc-shaped fossils resembling porpitids or eldonids from the early Cambrian (Series 2: Stage 4) of western USA (PeerJ)
• A new scyphozoan from the Cambrian Fortunian Stage of South China (Palaeontology)
• The diploporite blastozoan Lepidocalix pulcher from the Middle Ordovician of northern Algeria: Taxonomic revision and palaeoecological implications (APP)
• A new subdisarticulated machaeridian from the Middle Devonian of China: Insights using X-ray microtomography (APP)
• Eocene Loranthaceae pollen pushes back divergence ages for major splits in the family (PeerJ)
• The oldest fossil mushroom (PLOS ONE)
• Testing hypotheses of element loss and instability in the apparatus composition of complex conodonts: articulated skeletons of Hindeodus (Palaeontology)
• A new euselachian shark from the early Permian of the Middle Urals, Russia (APP)
• Ecological impact of the end-Cretaceous extinction on lamniform sharks (PLOS ONE)
• Imaging of Jurassic fossils from the Talbragar Fish Bed using fluorescence, photoluminescence, and elemental and mineralogical mapping (PLOS ONE)
• Pre-Quaternary divergence and subsequent radiation explain longitudinal patterns of genetic and morphological variation in the striped skink, Heremites vittatus (BMC Evolutionary Biology)
• A new occurrence of Dakotasuchus kingi from the Cretaceous of Utah & postcranial characters in Crocodyliformes (APP)
• A novel form of postcranial skeletal pneumaticity in a rebbachisaurid sauropod dinosaur (APP)
• Origin attachments of the caudofemoralis longus muscle in the Jurassic dinosaur Allosaurus (APP)
• Tyrannosauroid integument reveals conflicting patterns of gigantism and feather evolution (Biology Letters)
• Quantitative discrimination of flightlessness in fossil Anatidae from skeletal proportions (The Auk)
• Reconstruction of the cranial musculature of the paraceratheriid rhinocerotoid Pappaceras meiomenus (APP)
• Palaeogenomes of Eurasian straight-tusked elephants challenge the current view of elephant evolution (eLife)
• A new tribe of castoroidine beavers from the late Arikareean to Hemphillian (Oligocene–Miocene) of North America (APP)
• The effect of body size evolution and ecology on encephalization in cave bears and extant relatives (BMC Evolutionary Biology)
• Infrasonic and Ultrasonic Hearing Evolved after the Emergence of Modern Whales (Current Biology)
• Terreneuvian stratigraphy and faunas from the Anabar Uplift, Siberia (APP)
• Palaeoecological implications of the preservation potential of soft-bodied organisms in sediment-density flows: testing turbulent waters (RSOS)
• New data towards the development of a comprehensive taphonomic framework for the Late Jurassic Cleveland-Lloyd Dinosaur Quarry, Central Utah (PeerJ)
• A methodology of theropod print replication utilising the pedal reconstruction of Australovenator and a simulated paleo-sediment (PeerJ)

Community Events, Society Updates, and Resources:

• Diversity in Paleontology Workshop GoFundMe (Link)
• Announcing the First Call for Papers on Vertebrate Paleontology of Eastern North America, Southeastern Association of Vertebrate Paleontologists, and annual meeting, June 14–17, 2017 (Link)
• SVPCA 2017, September 12–15, 2017 (Link)
• DDIGs Come to a Close (Link) and the Dear Colleague Letter regarding the status of DDIG grants (Link)
• Count cells of modern & fossil leaves. Help Fossil Atmospheres track climate change over millions of years! (Link)

New and Views:

Animals and Anatomy:

• What a Drag (Laelaps)
• Diandongosuchus: the Strange-Faced Transitional Phytosaur (PLOS Paleo)
• A Small Basal Paravian Not Preserved as Roadkill? Enter Liaoningvenator! (Raptormaniacs)
• Walking with Australovenator (Laelaps)
• Why do ostriches have two kneecaps in each knee? (What’s in John’s Freezer?)
• Baby Bird from Time of Dinosaurs Found Fossilized in Amber (National Geographic)
• A mid-Cretaceous enantiornithine frozen in time (Letters from Gondwana)
• Paleo Profile: The Liaoning Hunter (Laelaps)
• A database of all dinosaur specimens in the world (SV-POW)
• “Propaliny” is not a thing. (It’s either “proal” or “palinal” — Pick one!) (An Anatomist’s Guide)
• Incredible Elephant Seals, Part 1 (Tetrapod Zoology)
• Fossil Friday – new mastodon CT scans (Valley of the Mastodon)
• What Difference Does a Damaged Skull Make, Anyhow? (Paige Fossil History)
• Moroccan Fossils Show Human Ancestors’ Diet of Game (Link)
• Oldest Fossils of Homo Sapiens Found in Morocco, Altering History of Our Species (NY Times)

Museums, Methods, and Musings:

• American Museum of Natural History, part 1: big dead icons (LITC)
• American Museum of Natural History, part 2: birds, near-birds, and wide loads (LITC)
• Can the Laws of Robotics be Adapted for Paleontology? (PLOS Paleo)
• The Five Laws of Palaeobiology (SVP Blog)
• Hot new stuff in APP: rebbachisaur pneumaticity, big croc, Allosaurus butts (SV-POW)
• Zuul makes an appearance at #FNLROM! (Pseudoplocephalus)
• Extinction Matters (Extinct)
• Open Science has an image and behaviour problem (Green Tea and Velociraptors)
• ProgPal 2017 and New Walk Museum (Raptormaniacs)
• Episode 10 – The Tree of Life (Common Descent Podcast)
• Science beyond the headlines (NHMU Blog)

Featured Folks and Fieldwork:

• The Paleo Lab Welcomes A New Intern! (A guest blog by Madison Pullis) (Updates from the VMNH Paleontology Lab)
• Recent Travels and Meetings (LITC)
• Ph.D. student pioneers storytelling strategies for science communication (Link)
• Scannella named John R. Horner Curator of Paleontology for Museum of the Rockies (Link)
• Next Stop on the Dinosaur Diamond: Moab. My Geocorps Experience in Canyon Country, Utah (Speaking of Geoscience)
• Bristol University’s resident ‘lungfish lecturer’ dies (Link)
• New Intern working on Virginia cave bones (guest blog written by Mr. B. Khameiss) (Updates from the VMNH Paleontology Lab)

Arts, Books, Culture, and Fun:

• Sauropods stomping turtles: a much neglected theme in palaeo art (SV-POW)
• My collection of sauropod-themed mugs (or at least five sixths of it) (SV-POW)

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