The Life of New Papers

["Jerry D. Harris" <jharris@dixie.edu>]

A couple of new things that I don't think have been mentioned yet:


Gong, Y., Xu, R., and Hu, B. 2008. Endolithic fungi: a possible killer for
the mass extinction of Cretaceous dinosaurs. Science in China, Series D:
Earth Sciences 51(6):801-807. doi: 10.1007/s11430-008-0052-1.

ABSTRACT: Mycelium-like structures found under ESEM within radial sections
of fragmental dinosaur eggshells would be the endolithic fungi coexistent
with dinosaur eggs in the upper part of the Late Cretaceous Hugang Formation
from the Wenjiaping section of Wenxian, Danjiangkou, northwestern Hubei,
Central China. The endolithic fungi selectively occurred in the bad
biomineral zone within the columnar layer of the eggshells, where the
crowded endolithic fungi penetrated the columnar layer at near-vertical or
near-horizontal angles. The endolithic fungi are needle-like, ribbon-like
and silk-like, and 5?18 µm long, 0.3?0.5 µm wide at their base, with pointed
tip, and are unbranched. The hyphae are mainly composed of oxygen, carbon
and calcium, and are with minor sodium, potassium, chlorine and sulfur. The
endolithic fungi and host have the same characters in lithification,
fracture and main chemical composition. We suggested that the episode
endolithic fungi invading dinosaur eggs may have taken place in the interval
between after formation of dinosaur eggshells and before their petrification
and that dinosaur eggs invaded by endolithic fungi would not be normally
incubated or would only be incubated into venerable and pathologic baby
dinosaurs to be easily to aborted and contributed to the mass extinction of
the dinosaurs at the end of Cretaceous.



Tereschenko, V.S. 2008. Adaptive features of protoceratopoids (Ornithischia:
Neoceratopsia). Paleontological Journal 42(3):50-64. doi:
10.1134/S003103010803009X.

ABSTRACT: The analysis of some morphological characteristics of
protoceratopoid skeletons, the extent of mobility of the vertebral column,
and the probable adaptive significance of these features suggest that
Bagaceratops had a mostly aquatic mode of life, Protoceratops was
semiaquatic, Udanoceratops was facultatively aquatic, and Leptoceratops was
predominantly terrestrial. Protoceratopoids were quadrupeds, with the
prevalence of hind limbs, probably using slow or rapid trotlike gait. An
asymmetrical locomotion was most likely impossible. On dry land,
Bagaceratops and Protoceratops moved slowly. Udanoceratops and Leptoceratops
approximately equally used rapid and slow locomotor modes, although the
second could run for a longer time than the first.




~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jerry D. Harris
Director of Paleontology
Dixie State College
Science Building
225 South 700 East
St. George, UT  84770   USA
Phone: (435) 652-7758
Fax: (435) 656-4022
E-mail: jharris@dixie.edu
 and     dinogami@gmail.com
http://cactus.dixie.edu/jharris/

"There's a saying that goes 'people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw
stones'... OK. How about...NOBODY should throw stones. That's crappy
behavior! My policy is 'no stone-throwing regardless of housing situation.'
There's an exception, though. If you're TRAPPED in a glass house...and you
have a stone, then throw it! What are you, an idiot? It's really 'ONLY
people in glass houses should throw stones'... provided they're trapped, in
a house... with a stone. It's a little longer, but you know..."
                                 --- Demetri Martin