In her latest post over at the Public Library of Science blog The Integrative Paleontologists Sarah Werning writes about about what the fossil history of California can teach us about climate change. UCMP is teaming up with other Berkeley natural history museums on the Berkeley Initiative in Global Change Biology to strive for a comprehensive picture of the effects of climate change on past, present, and future life. Read Sarah's post here. … [Read more...] about Werning blogs at PLOS about the fossils of the Sierra Nevada
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UCMP students honored with 2013 Paleontological Society Student Grants Awards
Dori Contreras (Looy Lab), Renske Kirchholtes (Looy Lab), and Allison Stegner (Barnosky Lab) will each receive awards from The Paleontological Society to support their research. Each year the Society grants Mid-America Paleontology Society (MAPS) Outstanding Research Awards to the top three student proposals received and honors a student with the G. Arthur Cooper Award for student research. Dori Contreras will receive a MAPS Outstanding Student Research Award to support her research titled: … [Read more...] about UCMP students honored with 2013 Paleontological Society Student Grants Awards
Barnosky presents statement on global environmental problems to Governor Brown
When California governor Jerry Brown challenged scientists to put global change issues into terms that political leaders can understand UCMP's Tony Barnosky stepped up. On May 23 Barnosky and colleagues presented a 30-page statement entitled Maintaining Humanity’s Life Support Systems in the 21st Century to the governor. It's a strong statement about global environmental problems and what people must do to insure the future health of the planet with signatories from 44 countries including two … [Read more...] about Barnosky presents statement on global environmental problems to Governor Brown
Another feather in Judy Scotchmoor’s cap
Our very own Judy Scotchmoor, Co-Director of Education and Outreach at the UCMP, received the 2013 Chancellor's Award for Public Service. The award honors outstanding public service by UC Berkeley undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and staff. The Civic Engagement Award received by Judy is, in part, for her exceptional ability to develop, nurture, and leverage collaborative partnerships and resources to better engage the public with exciting and accessible science. In a public ceremony … [Read more...] about Another feather in Judy Scotchmoor’s cap
Finding forams in the Caldecott Tunnel
Day after day, over the course of two years, the massive tunnel borer worked its way through the sedimentary rock layers of the Berkeley Hills during the construction of the fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, grinding up the rocks in the process into fist-size pieces that were later deposited outside the entrance of the tunnel. At the end of each work day, paleontologists sifted through these piles, referred to as the day’s "spoils." They were not only on the lookout for fossils of plants and … [Read more...] about Finding forams in the Caldecott Tunnel
Prepping the fossils from the Caldecott Tunnel
For the last semester I have been lucky enough to work as the GSR (graduate student researcher) for the spring semester at the UC Museum of Paleontology fossil preparation lab (prep lab) under the supervision of our new lab manager, Jason Carr. It has been fun getting back into the preparation role, something that I did as a job after college. The material we have to work on varies a lot which keeps the work interesting. It requires a variety of techniques, so I get to do something different … [Read more...] about Prepping the fossils from the Caldecott Tunnel
The Looy Lab paleo detectives: Dori and Cindy at the NMNH
Tuesday morning, February 12, 2013, Dori Contreras and Cindy Looy woke before dawn to catch a cross-country flight to Washington, DC, for a two-week visit to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Originally, Cindy was going to attend a biannual workshop of the Evolution of Terrestrial Ecosystem Program. However, after Dori obtained a Sigma Xi grant to study a fossil leaf collection housed in the NMNH’s paleobotanical collections, they teamed up and turned it into a joint … [Read more...] about The Looy Lab paleo detectives: Dori and Cindy at the NMNH
Reports from Regatta: Two Cal Alumni and the USGS Menlo Park Collection
As undergraduate work-study students recataloging the United States Geological Survery (USGS) Menlo Park Invertebrate collection at the UCMP, we've come across the names Nelson and Addicott time and time again in extensive database entries or on the original, yellowing locality cards paired with each specimen. The names of the paleontologists and geologists responsible for collecting these fossils in the Menlo Park collection are largely unknown to us, but found immersed within the aging drawers … [Read more...] about Reports from Regatta: Two Cal Alumni and the USGS Menlo Park Collection
The Looy Lab paleo detectives
Solving the mysteries of the past and present one rock at a time East of the Berkeley campus, we see the beautiful, green Berkeley Hills, the golden letter "C" and a somewhat classy-looking, dome-shaped building on the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory campus. This houses the ALS, or Advanced Light Source. Personally, I find the name a bit silly because it doesn't seem to capture the awesomeness of this giant machine. It's like calling the Space Shuttle a Progressive Flying Tool. The ALS … [Read more...] about The Looy Lab paleo detectives
Darwin Day Roadshow
It is not unusual to see evolutionary biologists around the world involved in celebration activities on February 12th — the reason? Charles Darwin's birthday! UCMP and the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) are no exception and this year the activities overlapped. Two years ago, NESCent initiated the Darwin Day Roadshow in order to bring evolutionary science to schools and museums around the country. This year, Lisa White was asked by NESCent to bring the Roadshow to Urban … [Read more...] about Darwin Day Roadshow
Caldwell’s rare octopus research makes headlines
Roy Caldwell has been working with Richard Ross of the California Academy of Sciences to study a rare, beautiful, and so far unnamed species of octopus. Their work, along with some of Roy's photos, is the subject of a feature article in the San Francisco Chronicle. … [Read more...] about Caldwell’s rare octopus research makes headlines
New bone histology book from UCMP and UC Press
The University of California Press has just published Bone Histology of Fossil Tetrapods: Advancing methods, analysis, and interpretation. The book represents the proceedings of an NSF-sponsored workshop and is the first comprehensive summary of the field of fossil bone histology. The twelve authors of the various chapters cover topics ranging from basic bone biology to calculating and analyzing the evolution of growth rates in bones, in addition to step-by-step instructions for setting up a … [Read more...] about New bone histology book from UCMP and UC Press
Cataloging the Archives: Three Fine Trikes
Another in a series of blog posts relating to the museum's "cataloging the archives" project Ask children what their favorite dinosaurs are, and it's almost guaranteed that Triceratops (refer to them by their nickname, Trikes, and you'll earn tons of street cred) will be on the list. The three-horned, frilled wonder is one of the most recognizable creatures of the Cretaceous. Many a visitor has walked by the Triceratops display here in the Valley Life Sciences Building's Marian Koshland … [Read more...] about Cataloging the Archives: Three Fine Trikes
Understanding Science in the video spotlight
The California Academy of Sciences produced a video that uses UCMP's Understanding Science website's How Science Works flowchart to map the discovery of a new spider family. UCMP Education and Public Programs team leaders Judy Scotchmoor and Lisa White have starring roles! Watch the video at Science360. … [Read more...] about Understanding Science in the video spotlight
Lucy Chang captures honors at the International Biogeography Society meeting
UCMP grad student, Lucy Chang, received recognition for her student poster at the recent International Biogeography Society meeting in Miami. She was one of two winners in the category of Conservation and Global Change. There were more than 300 student posters dispersed among four categories and only two winners in each category. Lucy’s poster focused on the use of the fossil record to understand how biotas are established in epeiric (epicontinental) seas. See abstract below. Abstract: … [Read more...] about Lucy Chang captures honors at the International Biogeography Society meeting
An evening with Neil Shubin
UCMP has partnered with the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco's Arts & Ideas series to present a lecture by Neil Shubin on Wednesday, January 16. Paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Neil Shubin is famed for discovering the fossilized Tiktaalik roseae, the missing link between ancient sea creatures and land dwellers. His bestselling book, Your Inner Fish, shows parallels between human anatomy and the structures of the fish that first wriggled landward 375 million years ago. In … [Read more...] about An evening with Neil Shubin
A salute to the Engdahl family
The Morris Skinner Award is the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s way of honoring those who have added to our knowledge through their contributions to collection of scientifically significant fossils. At its annual meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina, the society honored the Engdahl family of Garfield County, Montana, for their long-term, multi-generational support of paleontological research and education. Students, staff, and faculty associated with UCMP have benefited greatly from the … [Read more...] about A salute to the Engdahl family
Werning in Biology Letters with oldest dinosaur
Nyasasaurus parringtoni is the new name for a very old fossil — a small dinosaur that lived 10 million years before any other known species. UCMP's Sarah Werning co-authored the Biology Letters paper describing the animal and did bone analysis on the specimen. The Nyasasaurus fossil that Sarah and her co-authors studied was collected in Tanzania in the 1930s but was not described and documented for 80 years. The find pushes the origin of dinosaurs back to the middle of the Triassic … [Read more...] about Werning in Biology Letters with oldest dinosaur
Dispatches from Clear Lake, part 2
UCMP's Cindy Looy is leading a project to collect 130,000 years worth of sediment data from Clear Lake in order to better understand how life has adapted to climate change. Along the way, members of her team reported back to us with all the progress and drama from the field. Read part 1 here. From UCB undergrad research assistant Robert Stevenson: Fri 4/27-Sat 4/28 Night Shift First night shift was tough. Even with the nap I took to prep for the difference in sleeping schedule, … [Read more...] about Dispatches from Clear Lake, part 2
UCMP welcomes Erica Clites to lead our NSF-funded collections improvement grant
Erica Clites has accepted a Museum Scientist position at UCMP to lead the NSF-funded collections improvement grant to rehouse and digitally image the USGS Menlo Park collection housed at the Regatta facility. Erica has an outstanding record, with a Bachelor's in Geology from The College of Wooster and a M.S. in Geological Sciences from UC Riverside, having completed a study on the Ediacaran fauna under Mary Droser. She also has extensive experience with the National Park Service, including an … [Read more...] about UCMP welcomes Erica Clites to lead our NSF-funded collections improvement grant