tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-88693894508065146662024-03-12T19:44:25.617-07:00Trilobite BlogA Blog for musings of all things prehistoric. Connected to my store, Trilobite Clothing, located at www.cafepress.com/trilobiteMarekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-73151967974333669772008-04-07T00:47:00.000-07:002008-08-15T01:12:05.079-07:00Trilobite Blog Has Moved!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://etrilobite.com"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: none; cursor: pointer;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R_nSXP6slwI/AAAAAAAAAEg/tv6jIypuTZk/s400/etrilcomprev.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5186407742745384706" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >TRILOBITE BLOG HAS MOVED!</span><br /><p><span style="font-size:180%;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Direct Link to the New Blog:</span><br /></span><br /><a href="http://etrilobite.com">http://etrilobite.com</a></p></span></p><div style="text-align: left;">I've been talking and dropping tantalizing hints about moving to my own URL for a little while. I never gave away the address (Although one enterprising blogger, who shall remain nameless, discovered it nonetheless), because I didn't want a whole bunch of people to see it before it was done.<br /></div><p></p><div style="text-align: left;">Well, it's done now. I am very pleased to announce the launching of <a href="http://www.etrilobite.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">eTrilobite.com</span></a>, the new, improved home of the Trilobite Blog, now renamed the eTrilobite Blog. I'm very pleased with the design, which took a long time to perfect, and even longer to perfect for viewing in both IE and Firefox.<br /><br />So, loyal readers, change your bookmarks today! I look forward to seeing you all at <a href="http://www.etrilobite.com/"><span style="font-weight: bold;">eTrilobite.com</span></a>!<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /><a href="http://etrilobite.com/site/?page_id=8"></a>I will miss Blogger though, a little on the inside. We've had some good times together!<br /><br />Farewell Blogger! Parting is such sweet sorrow!<br /></div><br /></div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-38323819723550506192008-04-06T23:13:00.000-07:002008-04-06T23:14:41.473-07:00Coming Soon... The Future of the Trilobite Blog!Hey fossil fans,<br /><br />Sorry about the lack of a decent update today. I'm madly working on my new website, with a view to launching it in the next couple of hours, and thus, I have no time for a "real" entry. Sorry!<br /><br />But stay tuned, as I reveal Trilobite Blog's new home!Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-27582478317588231952008-04-05T16:25:00.000-07:002008-04-05T17:14:53.269-07:00The Real Jean-Baptiste Lamarck?<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Jean-baptiste_lamarck2.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 340px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f0/Jean-baptiste_lamarck2.jpg" border="0" /></a>Well, I set out to write something about Lamarck today, and as usual, I ran into a brick wall that prevented me from writing the article I set out to write. This is the nature of history. I think I have a great story, but the facts just don't fit it. I guess I'll leave the lying to those with less scruples.<br /><br />The problems started when I looked beyond Wikipedia for better information. Always a bad idea. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Wikipedia, but I also belong to the school of thought that considers multiple sources to be better. This is almost as fatal a flaw as honesty. If I'd just stick to Wikipedia, my life would be easy, and my views on history would fit into a tidy, sometimes one sided, little box.<br /><br />So I set out looking for articles explaining Lamarck's theories on evolution, and their significance to the history of science. I ran into an article that threw me for a bit of a loop, even though nothing in it really surprised me. You can find the article <a href="http://www.textbookleague.org/54marck.htm">here</a>. It's done by a group called the Textbook League, and basically rails against textbooks that overstate Lamarck's work in an attempt to pit Lamarck against Darwin in a sort of evolutionary battle royale. It states that Lamarck's achievements are overstated, and made more scientific than they actually were.<br /><br />Of course, I was aware that a great deal of Lamarck's theory was total bunk, and that much of it was taken from earlier works. His belief that evolution works towards "perfection" is hardly helpful, and his belief in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_generation#Spontaneous_generation">spontaneous generation</a> was fairly ludicrous. The only part of the theory that is credible is the proposition that organisms evolve to better survive in their environment. However, this is proposed in terms of a sideways evolution. Basically, environments make creatures evolve, sidetracking them in their "quest" for perfection.<br /><br />So after thinking about it for a while, I was left questioning what Lamarck's contribution to science actually was. I guess it could be stated that he helped to start enquiry into evolution, and that the chain he started lead indirectly to the much better work of Darwin and others. But should we really be treating Lamarck as a giant of evolutionary biology?<br /><br />I'd be really interested to hear what other people think about this! So if anyone else has ever delved into this chapter of history, I'd love to hear from you, agree or disagree.Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-56252580532794983702008-04-04T15:16:00.002-07:002008-04-04T16:05:39.641-07:00A Fox in Trilobite's Clothing<div align="center"><a href="http://www.paleodirect.com/images/textimages/abb2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 520px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.paleodirect.com/images/textimages/abb2.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span><a href="http://www.paleodirect.com/images/textimages/abb2.jpg"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.paleodirect.com/images/textimages/abb2.jpg</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.saharaoverland.com/images/Pic%2010.jpg"></a><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="left">It recently occured to me that considering the name of my blog, it has been a while since I actually wrote about trilobites specifically. So today I will rectify that situation, by talking about Moroccan trilobites, and more specifically, <em>fake</em> Moroccan trilobites.<br /><br />Morocco is well known for it's amazing trilobite specimens, and almost as well known for its fakes. Apparently these began as crude carvings, often anatomically incorrect. However, they quickly advanced, and today are usually resin casts, glued onto a matrix from the correct period. These days, good fakes can be very hard to spot. In fact, the only real proof is sometimes sawing the specimen open, and looking for evidence of the resin layer laid on top of the matrix. </div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">This is a rather unfortunate state of affairs for those looking by buy real Moroccan trilobites, but I don't really see what can be done about it. The only real way to ensure Authenticity is to buy from a reputable fossil-dealer, and/or have the specimen examined by an expert prior to purchase.</div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">Of course, you could always go out on your own and find your own trilobites. That's the best way of all (providing you don't do it in a protected area).</div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left">For an excellent resource on trilobite fakery, go check out paleodirect.com</div><div align="left"></div><br /><div align="left"><a href="http://www.paleodirect.com/faketrilobites1.htm">http://www.paleodirect.com/faketrilobites1.htm</a></div></div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-23007418845637735982008-04-03T11:30:00.000-07:002008-04-03T16:49:56.431-07:00Shedding Light on the Evolution of Marsupials<div align="center"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/1834236184_7201d7a231.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/1834236184_7201d7a231.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> </span><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/1834236184_7201d7a231.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2407/1834236184_7201d7a231.jpg?v=0</span></a><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="left"><br />The discovery of fossil fragments of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Djarthia</span>, the earliest known Australian marsupial. and a subsequent study has helped to shed light on the evolutionary history of marsupials, in particular, <em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Dromiciops</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">gliroides</span></em> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Monito</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">del</span> Monte), a South American species. </div><div align="left"><br />Marsupials are generally thought to have originated in South America and spread into Australia via the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Antarctic</span> continent, during a period when the three continents were connected. However, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Monito</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">del</span> Monte appears to be most directly descended from <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Djarthia</span>. It would seem that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Monito</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">del</span> Monte evolved from a line of Australian marsupials who migrated back to South America. before the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">supercontinent</span> (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">Gondwana</span>) broke up around 40 million years ago.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">This new <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">study</span> was made possible by the discovery of the new fossil fragments of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">Djarthia</span>, known only by teeth previously. The ankle and ear bones recovered in Australia allowed for a more complete comparison to be made between <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">Djarthia</span> and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Monito</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">del</span> Monte. The study of the fossils was conducted by Mr. Robin Beck.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">Get the extended story at <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">ScienceDaily</span>:</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203453.htm">http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325203453.htm</a></div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-90084890158958597542008-04-01T21:57:00.000-07:002008-04-01T23:32:57.128-07:00In Remembrance of Marella<a href="http://paws.wcu.edu/dperlmutr/Marella2.JPG"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://paws.wcu.edu/dperlmutr/Marella2.JPG" border="0" /></a>This post is a tribute to Marella Splendens, a Burgess shale species that I think is a little under appreciated. It was abused from the very beginning. Charles Walcott, who first excavated the Burgess shale, dismissed it as an odd trilobite. In fact, although often assumed to be a trilobite by the amateur observer, Marella is currently placed in a class of its own.<br /><br />Now, you all know that I love trilobites, but I feel sorry for Marella. It's the most common fossil found in the Burgess shale, and yet, do I write the "Marella Blog," or run "Marella Clothing" on cafepress? I think not. Wikipedia gives Marella 400 words, compared to 2800 for trilobites.<br /><br />Marella is like the girl in your class who you would never have paid attention to, except she looked at little like the <em>totally hot </em>trilobite you had your eye on. But Marella had the better personality, so you would have been better off with her all along.<br /><br />So, I propose we take a moment out of our busy, trilobite laden, schedules, and appreciate Marella Splendens.Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-12106897300517970662008-03-31T20:14:00.000-07:002008-03-31T21:44:40.544-07:00The Most Epic of All Dinosaur Battles...<p align="center"><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/bQUBiiiXtlo&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/bQUBiiiXtlo&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p><p align="left"><br />My travels around Youtube have born fruit before, but this really takes the top prize. Above is a scene from the movie "1 Million Years BC." Considering this sequence was made around 30 years before I was born, I'm pretty impressed. The animation is really smooth, and it's just... well... cool!</p><p align="left">Popcorn recommended!</p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-36264658529116057882008-03-29T16:34:00.000-07:002008-03-29T16:42:55.059-07:00How to Leak Information Like a Sieve...<a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/252802717_8779b3fa84.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/88/252802717_8779b3fa84.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br />Hey fossil fans,<br /><div></div><br /><div>Well, I don't have time to finish any of my awesome, work-in-progress posts before I go to my "real" job in 15 minutes, so I'll tantalize you with some new info about the future. Drumroll, please...<br /><br />I am pleased to announce that the Trilobite Blog will be moving to it's own domain. The domain will remain undisclosed for the near future, but rest assured, the web design has begun. In fact, I wasted all my time on it today, hence the lack of a proper post.<br /><br />I'll keep you all posted! Needless to say, I'm very excited to get the new domain started, and take Trilobite Blog to the next level!</div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-71170267087356828032008-03-27T14:42:00.000-07:002008-03-27T10:59:26.466-07:00PaleoProfile: Sam Gon IIIWell, I've been promising some great new material for a while now, and this is the centerpiece.<br /><br />I am pleased to announce a new feature on Trilobite Blog, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">PaleoProfile</span>! The idea in to conduct a blog interview (<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">bloggerview</span>) with someone (preferably famous!) involved in paleontology every second week.<br /><br />This week, for the very first edition of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">PaleoProfile</span>, we present Sam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Gon</span> III. If you have ever looked up trilobites online, you have likely found his seminal work, <a href="http://www.trilobites.info/">A Guide to the Orders of Trilobites</a>. The website has been listed as a web resource by Universities (Harvard, Manchester), and Libraries (Smithsonian, Cornell). In short, no better resource for trilobites exists online. Beyond trilobites, Mr. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Gon</span> is a highly respected Hawaiian ecologist. So, without Further ado.<br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">PaleoProfile</span>: Sam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Gon</span> III</span></strong><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R-szxP6slvI/AAAAAAAAAEY/e1A-hJpWyi8/s1600-h/Ohu_DSC03085.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5182292717399217906" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R-szxP6slvI/AAAAAAAAAEY/e1A-hJpWyi8/s320/Ohu_DSC03085.png" border="0" /></a> <em>I always like to hear how people got interested in things. There aren't any trilobites to be found in Hawaii. So what was it that got you interested in the first place? I know for me, it was seeing the amazing specimens from Morocco that first piqued my interest.</em><br /><br />I am a biologist, so living things have always fascinated me. Moreover, their relationships to each other, and therefore the course of the evolution of life on earth. Arthropods are amazing creatures, and trilobites are an amazingly diverse group of ancient arthropods. When I realized just how diverse trilobites were, I wanted to know a bit more about them, and when I found there were (at the time) 8 orders of trilobites, I wanted to know on what basis you could place any given trilobite into its proper order. I found it was not a straightforward thing at all! So my curiosity piqued, I dove deeply into trilobite systematics, and in learning more about them, found I was amassing information that should be shared on the web. Thus the Guide to the Orders of Trilobites was born, as well as my unflagging interest in this group.<br /><br /><br /><em>In condensing and organizing a great deal of material into "A Guide to the Orders of Trilobites," you have created what I consider to be the best resource available online for trilobite information. Apparently I'm not alone either. The site receives hundreds of hits a day. That's a lot of trilobite fans! What do you think it is about trilobites that fascinates so many people?</em><br /><br />I think I said it well enough on the website, but between their amazing diversity of form, their extreme old age (anything half a billion years old and still recognizable as a once-living thing is mind-boggling!), and the fact that just about anyone can own one and hold such an exceptional fossil in one hand, how can trilobites NOT be fascinating?<br /><br /><br /><em>Trilobites were an extremely large group. The sheer number of species (over 17,000 described), as well as the truly massive number of specimens unearthed every year, make the study of trilobites somewhat broader than the study of smaller groups. We have such an incredible wealth of evidence and knowledge about them, and yet even so, there is a great deal unknown. If you could discover the answer to one trilobite mystery, what would it be?</em><br /><br />That's a hard question, since there are so many questions to ask - if there could be a clear and definitive answer to the relationships and origins of all of the orders, so we could readily trace the origins of the trilobite radiations from their explosive origins in the Cambrian, that would be amazing to me.<br /><br /><br /><em>How about a favourite trilobite? If there a particular group that really interests you, or even a favourite specimen you have that you really like?</em><br /><br />I confess an interest in the bumpy order <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">Lichida</span>, but one of my favorite specimens was given by a friend, it is a nearly perfectly round specimen of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Nobiliasaphus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">nobilis</span>, for all the world like a coin stamped with a trilobite. You can see its image here:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12382649@N00/2269243557/in/set-72157603919246706/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/12382649@N00/2269243557/in/set-72157603919246706/</a><br /><br /><br /><em>In addition to "A Guide to the Orders of Trilobites," You also run "The <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">Anomalocaris</span> Homepage," which describes the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">Anomalocarid</span> group. These are creatures close to my heart, because of my close proximity to the Burgess Shale formation. Should we expect to see this page expand as new research on this group is revealed?</em><br /><br />Yes, though it seems that there have not been any breakthrough articles on the group since the turn of the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">millennium</span>! If you know of any, please let me know and I'll add the new information and citations in a flash!<br /><br /><br /><em>You've been deeply involved in Hawaiian ecology for several decades, and you're a member of the Nature Conservatory of Hawaii. But you've also done cultural work, including study of Hawaiian chant and hula. People often mentally separate the areas of natural history and human cultural history, and study only one or the other. Based on your work, do you think these two areas should be separate, or studied as aspects of the same common history?</em><br /><br />Although there are major overlaps between western science and Hawaiian traditional knowledge, there are also fundamental differences, and I find it is good stimulation for the brain and spirit to jump across channels of thought and epistemology and enjoy both the similarities and differences.<br /><br /><br /><em>As an ecologist, as well as an amateur paleontologist, does it ever seem strange to jump back and forth between trying to preserve environments before they're lost, and trying to rediscover environments that were lost millions of years ago?<br /></em><br />The key connection between my paleontological interests and my conservation biology interests is celebration of diversity of life. Both fields force you to appreciate changing worlds, and while we can't do anything about the extinction of trilobites, there is an obligation to preserve and protect the diversity of life we have today.<br /><br /><br /><em>Is there anything else you'd like to add? Any big new projects that you'd like to announce, or things you'd like to advertise?</em><br /><br />The latest development in my <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">hardcopy</span> adaptation of the trilobite website is that it is now available in electronic form as a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">pdf</span>. You can find the link to it here: <a href="http://www.trilobites.info/hardcopy.htm">http://www.trilobites.info/hardcopy.htm</a>. Also, the full archive of the Trilobites of the Month, for the past 7 years, is now available on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">flickr</span>.com. Just go there and search all photos for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">Nobiliasaphus</span>, and you'll find my favorite trilobite specimen image, and then see the link to "Sam <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">Gon's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">Trilos</span>" thanks to a colleague on <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">flickr</span>. Nothing else major brewing, but an ongoing invitation to anyone who is interested in trilobites, paleontology and evolution of life on earth to feel free to contact me at any time.Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-52202888570673811112008-03-26T17:35:00.000-07:002008-03-26T22:35:45.235-07:00Ask and Ye Shall Receive... on Yahoo Answers<a href="http://asupremenewyorkthing.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/yahooanswers.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://asupremenewyorkthing.files.wordpress.com/2007/02/yahooanswers.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />I don't know how many of you have checked out Yahoo Answers, but there is a thriving science section there. Now, one could point out quite correctly that a great deal of this is lame high school students taking the easy road on their homework, but there are also some more interesting questions.<br /><br />In my constant quest to learn more about the stuff I blog about, I've taken to hanging around Yahoo Answers. I actually much prefer to answer questions, sometimes even taking the time to look up answers I don't know. See, I learn! I'm a level 2 user, and apparently I've answered 77 questions. Pretty awsome.<br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://usera.imagecave.com/donchavez/yahooans.jpg" border="0" /><br />Of course, not everything asked on Yahoo answers is so great. I don't know whether this is a poorer reflection on the student trying to cheat on her homework, or the curriculum that calls for a "rap about soil erosion." What are schools coming to?<br /><br />But have no fear. I took matters into my own hands!<br /><br /><br /><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://usera.imagecave.com/donchavez/yahooans2.jpg" border="0" /><br />But anyway, if any of you are ever on Yahoo answers, my username is Trilobite, and you can find me haunting the science sections!Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-78676693544266395592008-03-25T22:26:00.000-07:002008-03-25T23:03:48.502-07:00There's More Than Oil in Them Sands...<div align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R-niQv6slsI/AAAAAAAAAEA/vAtHBmT28Z4/s1600-h/Nichollsia_borealis.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5181921623634908866" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R-niQv6slsI/AAAAAAAAAEA/vAtHBmT28Z4/s400/Nichollsia_borealis.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.fossilscience.com/Images/Nichollsia_borealis.jpg"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.fossilscience.com/Images/Nichollsia_borealis.jpg</span></a><br /><br /><div align="left">Who would have thought that the Alberta tar sands would provide anything but a fast-track to global warming? Well, apparently, they have. Paleontologists have recently described a 2.6 metre plesiosaur, discovered in the Syncrude Canada Inc mine in 1994. Apparently the speciment was uncovered with the delicate excavation technique so often demonstrated by the 100 ton shovels employed at the mine.</div><br /><div align="left">The plesiosaur, names Nichollsia borealis after the late Betty Nicholls, former curator of marine reptiles at the Royal Tyrrel Museum, and expert in the field in general. </div><br /><div align="left">Read it all over at fossilscience.com: </div><div align="left"><a href="http://www.fossilscience.com/Research/Ancient_reptile_rises_from_Alberta_oil_sands.asp"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.fossilscience.com/Research/Ancient_reptile_rises_from_Alberta_oil_sands.asp</span></a></div></div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-36778448151619858552008-03-24T22:46:00.000-07:002008-03-24T23:29:45.089-07:00National Geographic: Forty Plus Years... On My Shelf...<a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/498801115_8fd4008676.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 335px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/191/498801115_8fd4008676.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a> Hey fossil fans,<br /><br />One thing I've neglected to mention before is the rather large collection of National Geographic magazines. The collection goes back to roughly 1965, and continues basically unbroken until the present.<br /><br />It amazes me that I've never thought about the collection before, as a historical source. I can look at the last four decades of articles to see the progression of knowledge in various areas. In the near future, I am working on articles about early man, and the last ice age, two topics that seem to be richly covered by NG over the last few decades.<br /><br />And yes, in case you were wondering, I do have the National Geographic from the moon landing. It's pretty cool to think that when this issue arrived on someones (I think my grandfather's) doorstep, the moon landing had just happened.<br /><br />So anyway, expect some new articles in the future, as I start to delve deeply into the resource I've discovered. And these articles aren't the only cool thing coming in the next week to this blog. I don't want to give all the secrets away right now, so stay tuned over the next few days, and the secrets will be revealed. Yeah, that's a cliffhanger right there, now you have to come back for another visit!Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-80718183072927131792008-03-23T15:08:00.000-07:002008-03-23T16:13:09.353-07:00Respice Prospice: Why I Write About the History of Science<div align="center"><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/2242803422_dae07a885c.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/2242803422_dae07a885c.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/2242803422_dae07a885c.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2151/2242803422_dae07a885c.jpg?v=0</span></a></div><div align="left"><br />When I'm not posting humorous YouTube videos, or talking about by wonderful, excellent store, <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/trilobite">Trilobite Clothing</a>, I usually post about the history of science. Why, you might ask, do I write about the history of science, as opposed to simply science?</div><br /><div align="left">Firstly, I am not a scientist. Therefore, my posts will never be as good as the myriad of other science bloggers who actually <em>practice</em> what they preach. I'm not saying that there isn't room for another good paleontology blog, but I am saying that it would be best left to a paleontologist.</div><div align="left"><br />Secondly, completely outside my interest in science, I'm a total history nut. When I dig around for blog posts to write, I tend to gravitate, perhaps subconsciously, to stories involving history. My three part series on avian evolution (located <a href="http://trilobiteclothing.blogspot.com/2008/03/good-gracious-my-meal-is-theropod-part.html">here</a>, <a href="http://trilobiteclothing.blogspot.com/2008/03/dinosaurs-arent-birds-clavicles-dont.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://trilobiteclothing.blogspot.com/2008/03/ostrom-deinonychus-and-dinosaurs-of.html">here</a>) is a good example of what tends to happen when my two passions collide. Long posts are produced, and the writing just flows. So I let it.<br /><br />Now, this isn't to say that I don't blog about the latest discoveries, I actually do that a fair bit. But I hate being just another blog regurgitating content from ScienceDaily. If I was a true expert and able to expand on the article, I would, and that would be great, but like I said, I'm not <em>actually</em> a scientist. And actually, even some scientists agree with me! Darren over at Tetrapod Zoology has a post called <a id="a071445" href="http://scienceblogs.com/tetrapodzoology/2008/03/tiny_pterosaurs_pacman_frogs.php">Tiny pterosaurs and pac-man frogs from hell</a>, which deals with the exact subject.<br /><br />So, I think I'll stick with my odd hybrid of Science and History, and hope that there are at least a few people who it will interest.<br /><br />"Sciences and history, Livin' in perfect harmony*"<br /><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:78%;">* I considered using this for the title of the story, but it is way, way too hokey.</span></div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-86252831687697172032008-03-22T22:33:00.000-07:002008-03-22T22:38:23.637-07:00Jack Horner: Paleontology LegendHey fossil fans,<br /><br />Dinosaur fans need no introduction to Jack Horner, one of the most famous dinosaur paleontologists around today. I've dug up an interview with him on youtube, so enjoy!<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/L5PY6KHwxow&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/L5PY6KHwxow&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p><p align="left"></p><br /><p align="left">Eventually, I'll get around to writing a proper biography, to outline Horner's work. This is a cool video though. "How long will you keep doing this?" "Til I keel over!"</p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-8897078568245300352008-03-21T12:18:00.000-07:002008-03-21T13:25:00.375-07:00The Paleontology Will be Twitterized...Hey Fossil Fans,<br /><br />Most of you probably don't know it, but I'm on <a href="http://twitter.com/">Twitter</a>. Twitter's a great way to waste time and stay connected with people, but I've been finding it hard to find people with similar interests to mine. I guess the majority of Twitterites aren't madly live-twittering the latest paleontology news.<br /><br />Anyway, if any of you, my dear readership, are on Twitter, my username is Trilobitten, and I would be happy to add you to my "followed" list. Right now, I chat it up with online marketers, coffee drinkers, etc.<br /><br />So join me on Twitter, and we'll have meaningful, deep conversations about paleontology... in 140 characters or less.Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-15115542160980317002008-03-20T22:32:00.000-07:002008-03-20T22:34:04.110-07:00A Brief History of Death (Cuvier and Catastrophism)"All of these facts, consistent among themselves, and not opposed by any report, seem to me to prove the existence of a world previous to ours, destroyed by some kind of catastrophe. " ~ Georges Cuvier<br /><div align="left"><br /><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Georges_Cuvier.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 350px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/28/Georges_Cuvier.jpg" border="0" /></a>One could easily imagine that it came as a nasty shock to the public when Georges Cuvier presented his paper on living and fossilized elephants in 1796. The paper demonstrated that woolly mammoths constituted a distinct, and indeed <em>extinct,</em> species, rather than the preserved remains of African or Indian elephants that had migrated to the tropics because of cooling climate.<br /><br />This hardly jived with the thinking of the day, that God's creation was perfect, and that no species could ever go extinct. But apparently, Cuvier was not satisfied with the damage he had already done. He became increasingly convinced that most of the fossils he studied where of extinct creatures.<br /><br />Cuvier contended that earth had gone through a number of periods, characterized by different faunas, and separated by a series of cataclysmic natural disasters. He postulated that, since a great number of species would be wiped out by an extinction, or "revolution," as he referred to them, a creation event must follow each extinction.<br /><br />This view rose out of his opposition to the evolutionary theory proposed by his colleague at the Académie des Sciences, Jean-Baptiste Lamarck. His view was later championed by Richard Owen, of the British Museum of Natural History, after Darwin published <em>Origin of Species</em>.<br /><br />Anti-evolution views aside, Cuvier is notable for first asserting that extinction existed as a phenomena, and thus virtually founding the modern study of paleontology. He also suggested that there had been a time when reptiles were the dominant group on earth, an idea confirmed by the discoveries of the next century.</div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-74843606666679074372008-03-19T23:29:00.000-07:002008-03-19T23:36:21.825-07:00The Trouble with the Internet...... is that no matter what you do, someone has done it before you, and done it better. This is a followup to my Megalosaurus post from yesterday. Firstly, I have a youtube video. This video, "Tribute to Megalosaurus," shows a lot more reconstructions than I did, even including some I was never able to find online. It's a cool vid, and is a nice expansion on the points I made in my post.<br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/T-UHBqxOlMU&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/T-UHBqxOlMU&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p>Next, I should probably mention that me and Brian over at Laelaps seem to think in a similar way. He was posting about avian evolution at the same time as my three-part post, and right after I did my bit on Megalosaurus, I found out he'd been blogging about it too.<br /><br />His post goes over some of the problems with the Megalosaurus genus, rising from the fact that Megalosaurus is only known by a few bone fragments. Give it a look at <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/laelaps/2008/03/megalosaurus_we_hardly_knew_ye.php">Laelaps</a>, cool stuff!Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-11649130185371579932008-03-18T23:30:00.001-07:002008-03-18T23:32:17.470-07:00Evolution of PaleoArt Part II: MegalosaurusHey Fossil Fans,<br /><br />I did a post a while ago about how <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">PaleoArt</span> has evolved over time, as our <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">understanding</span> of ancient creatures has improved. I used a great example, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Iguanodon</span> to illustrate this point. This post will explore the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Megalosaurus</span> in the same way.<br /><br /><br /><br /><p align="center"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 386px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c6/London_-_Crystal_Palace_-_Victorian_Dinosaurs_1.jpg/800px-London_-_Crystal_Palace_-_Victorian_Dinosaurs_1.jpg" border="0" /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:London_-_Crystal_Palace_-_Victorian_Dinosaurs_1.jpg"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:London_-_Crystal_Palace_-_Victorian_Dinosaurs_1.jpg</span></a><br /></p><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Conveniently</span>, a statue of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">Megalosaurus</span> was created at the same time, and for the same purpose, as the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">Iguanodon</span> statue I started with last time. Notice the four-legged gait. We will see just how wrong this is in a bit.<br /><br /><p align="center"><span style="font-size:78%;"></span></p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 558px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.copyrightexpired.com/earlyimage/megalosaurus_em_1892_smit_1929.gif" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><a href="http://www.copyrightexpired.com/earlyimage/prehistoriclifebeforekt/megalosaurus_em_1892_smit_1929.html"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.copyrightexpired.com/earlyimage/prehistoriclifebeforekt/megalosaurus_em_1892_smit_1929.html</span></a><br /></p><p align="left">Getting a little warmer in this lithograph, circa 1905. Here there seems to be at least an attempt at getting the <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">anatomical</span> aspect of the creature right. Not great, but at least it's not an iguana with a different head.</p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 478px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://www.tylertornado.com/megalosaurus.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><a href="http://www.tylertornado.com/megalosaurus.jpg"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.tylertornado.com/megalosaurus.jpg</span></a><br /></p><p align="left">Well, I couldn't find any other "transitional" reconstructions of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">Megalosaurus</span>, so here we've moved up to the most modern form, circa 2002. I don't think I have to say much about how wrong the early depictions were!</p><p align="left">But there are reasons why early depictions were so strange. Firstly, and especially in the case of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">Megalosaurus</span>, only fragments of the skeleton were found. Benjamin W. Hawkins was going off almost nothing in his sculpture. In fact, not enough full skeletons had been found to give any real idea of what the dinosaur body looked like. Therefore, Hawkins made the assumption that that they were simply glorified lizards.</p><p align="left">It's hard to imagine a time when so little was known, but in the early days, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">paleoartists</span> were literally flying blind.<br /><br /></p><br /><p align="left"><br /></p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-40718811364674118992008-03-17T00:04:00.000-07:002008-03-17T00:17:27.035-07:00"Cultural Depictions of Dinosaurs," I should have known.<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Edmontosaurus.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 340px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cf/Edmontosaurus.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>Hey Fossil Fans,<br /><br />A while ago I did an article about paleoart, and how depictions of various creatures have changed with our understanding of dinosaurs and to a certain extent our culture.<br /><br />Well, I should have known that, where I go, Wikipedia has already been. For people who were interested in my little piece, check out <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_depictions_of_dinosaurs">Cultural depictions of dinosaurs </a>at Wikipedia.</div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-12098682150321886672008-03-15T13:53:00.000-07:002008-03-15T23:47:30.525-07:00Life Strikes Again...<div align="center"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/230451470_e7222188c1.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/230451470_e7222188c1.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/230451470_e7222188c1.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://farm1.static.flickr.com/71/230451470_e7222188c1.jpg?v=0</span></a><br /><br /><div align="left">Hey Fossil Fans,<br /><br /></div><div align="left">Sorry about the lack of an update yesterday. Life once again interfered in my affairs, and I didn't have time to write anything worth posting. Heck, I couldn't even find a decent youtube video.</div><br /><div align="left">Anyway, I've got some housekeeping to do today, so let's get on with it!</div><br /><div align="left">First, I'd like to share some blogs, which are much more popular than I am, but if you happen to have never seen them, have a look! Eventually I'll get a real live blogroll going, but for now, here are my top 5, in no particular order:</div><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><a href="http://scienceblogs.com/laelaps/">Laelaps</a><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><a href="http://palaeoblog.blogspot.com/">PaleoBlog</a><br /></div><div align="left"><a href="http://www.glendonmellow.blogspot.com/">The Flying Trilobite</a></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><a href="http://www.scienceblogs.com/loom/">The Loom</a></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><a href="http://triloblog.blogspot.com/">TriloBlog</a></div><p><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">So there you have it, the cream of the crop. If you actually found my blog before these ones... wow.<br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">And by the way, I have some bigger articles and other exciting things coming to this blog in the near future, so stay tuned!</div></div>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-16894693531199596272008-03-13T13:11:00.000-07:002008-03-13T13:40:49.487-07:00Dinosaur Provincial Park, A Happy Place<div align="center"><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/376830546_9e79766924.jpg?v=0"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 500px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/376830546_9e79766924.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/376830546_9e79766924.jpg?v=0"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/376830546_9e79766924.jpg?v=0</span></a></div><br />We happy residents of Canada have a great many really cool places we can go to see a variety of different, reasonably untouched areas of nature. One such place in Dinosaur Provincial Park.<br /><br />Located in southern Alberta in the Red Deer river valley, Dinosaur Provincial Park, a World Heritage Site, is one of the richest fossil beds in the world. The 39 species of dinosaurs that have been found in the park are a remarkably diverse group, including Dromeosaurs, Hadrosaurs, Ankylosaurs, and many more.<br /><br />And of course, I've camped there, in the campsite run by Alberta Parks. It is one of the best campsites I've ever visited, so if you're in the area, or can get to the area, I would highly recommend staying there.<br /><br />And while you're at it, visit the Royal Tyrrel Museum, which I have posted about many times before.Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-76141667196735228072008-03-11T15:32:00.000-07:002008-03-12T09:29:27.320-07:00Fossil Preparation<p align="center"><object height="355" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/BhPrraSMlJM"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/BhPrraSMlJM" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="355"></embed></object></p><p align="center"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPrraSMlJM"><span style="font-size:78%;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhPrraSMlJM</span></a></p><p align="left">Here is a great video showing the preparation of a really stunning Moroccan trilobite. Probably not the most exciting video for non-fossil fans, but it does show the amount of work that goes into revealing the details of fossils.</p><p align="left">Speaking of such things, lately I've been considering starting my own modest collection of trilobite specimens. Alas, fossils are not cheap!</p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-4105999848949275462008-03-10T21:56:00.000-07:002008-03-10T22:37:23.143-07:00A Special Announcement!Hey Fossil Fans,<br /><br />As most of you know all too well, I run Trilobite Clothing, over at cafepress.com. I like to put in a plug for myself every once in a while on my blog. In fact, you may have noticed that the very URL I chose is a plug for my store.<br /><br />But tonight I am unveiling a project I've been working on for some time. It is being unveiled here before anywhere else, the online equivalent of a world premiere!<br /><br />Ladies and Gentleman, I am pleased to announce, the "Making News" campaign!<br /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5176344803570700450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9YSLGPFUKI/AAAAAAAAADw/rHIv1CcPNVw/s400/makenewsbanner.png" border="0" />A few months ago, I got in touch with Roger Smith, the owner of Dinosaurnews.org, a really wonderful webzine, that features all the latest and greatest Paleontology news. Roger runs Dinosaurnews completely nonprofit, and I started wondering what I could do to help. We started throwing around the idea of a fundraiser, to help support Dinosaurnews, and help it to reach an even broader audience.<br /><br />Thus, "Making News" was born. I designed the logo you see above, which is meant to reflect the exciting pace of new discoveries in the field of Paleontology. Profits from the articles of clothing in the Making News section will be donated to Dinosaurnews.org!<br /><br />So why not pick up a high quality shirt, and help of spread the news? And if you support the cause, why not post about it in your blog? Together, we can raise awareness about paleontology!<br /><br />What are you waiting for? Visit <a href="http://www.cafepress.com/trilobite">www.cafepress.com/trilobite</a> <p></p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-8790041767177706252008-03-09T17:05:00.001-07:002008-03-09T18:06:20.779-07:00Wherefore Art Thou, PaleoArtist?<div align="left"></div><div align="center"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175897791964467234" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9R7nmPFUCI/AAAAAAAAACw/4B5s1fGSORs/s400/800px-Duria_Antiquior.jpg" border="0" />Duria Antiquior</strong>, By <strong>Henry De le Beche </strong></div><div align="center"><strong></strong></div><div align="center"></div><p><div align="left">As long as there has been paleontology (or maybe longer), there have been artistic interpretations. Naturally, these have evolved with our knowledge of the creatures of the past. </div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">Actually, artistic depictions are a great way to trace our understanding of various creatures. On that note, one example stands out.</div><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left">First up, Iguanodon, first discovered in 1822. We can use various works of art to trace the progression of not only our understanding of Iguanodon, but also the progression of our understanding of Paleontology in general. early depictions of Iguanodon were basically Iguanas blown up to massive proportions. Here is a set of statues that stand today on Sydenham Hill, but were commissioned for the Crystal Palace, and unveiled in 1854.</div><p><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><p align="center"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175902370399604786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9R_yGPFUDI/AAAAAAAAAC4/WEsDPhl7_es/s400/Iguanodons_crystal_palace_email.jpg" border="0" />by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins</strong></p><div align="left">Moving Forward to the 1895, we can see that a great deal has changed in the depiction of Iguanodon. In this depiction, it is far more upright, and less Iguana-like.</div><br /><p align="center"><strong><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175905136358543442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9SCTGPFUFI/AAAAAAAAADI/BUCvKS5s4GE/s400/iguanodon_iln_1895_woodward_1951.gif" border="0" />by Alice B. Woodward</strong></p><p align="left">Now we'll jump forward about sixty years, and see how far we've come. Iguanodon is more refined than before, and the anatomy is understood better.</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175907726223822978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9SEp2PFUII/AAAAAAAAADg/q2pC3HNthww/s400/iguanodon_main.jpg" border="0" /><br /><p align="center"><strong>by Neave Parker</strong> </p><p align="left">Now we'll move to a recent picture. Look at the huge difference from the early depictions!</p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175908593807216786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9SFcWPFUJI/AAAAAAAAADo/vVbwirTrC88/s400/iguanodon.jpg" border="0" /> <p align="center"><strong>by Chris Srnka and Jeff Poling</strong></p><p align="left">So let this be a lesson to PaleoArtists, myself included. Don't get too attached to the current "incarnation" of any dinosaur!</p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8869389450806514666.post-6826955675060145702008-03-08T14:14:00.000-08:002008-03-08T14:34:59.678-08:00Announcing... Avian Evolution!<div align="center"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9MQwWPFUBI/AAAAAAAAACo/AUwKFSBOX9M/s1600-h/jitcrunch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5175498819567439890" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_ELVT4AD19tM/R9MQwWPFUBI/AAAAAAAAACo/AUwKFSBOX9M/s400/jitcrunch.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.cafepress.com/trilobite">www.cafepress.com/trilobite</a></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><div align="left"><br />Hey Fossil Fans,</div><p><br />I actually meant to add this to the end of Part 3 of the avian evolution series, but I couldn't bear to make the post even longer. The idea for this one came while writing the series, and is based partly on the famous human evolution design. But you'll notice that the dinosaurs seem pretty keen on squabbling with each other. In fact, the little bird at the end seems a little ticked off about the whole thing, and is averting his eyes. Check out the design at Trilobite Clothing. </p><p> </p>Marekhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00685202394055030246noreply@blogger.com2