Associating Fossil Bones to their Surrounding Matrix may Prevent Thefts

A new technique that ties fossil bones to their site of origin may help deter raiders of dinosaur dig sites.  With the number of incidents of looting on the increase, then this new “finger printing” system that helps identify the source of any fossil put up for auction may act as a deterrent for would be thieves.

The Theft of Fossil Bones

The theft of fossil bones and other ancient relics from dig sites is an increasingly common occurrence.  Thieves recently stole several important sauropod fossils from a dig site in the state of Utah, this particular dig site held the fossilised bones of a young Diplodocus that lived 150 million years ago.

Commenting on the theft, Scott Williams the Collections and Exhibits Manager at the Burpee Museum of Natural History stated:

“It’s like pieces of a puzzle that are now gone”.

Unfortunately, it is highly unlikely that these fossils will ever come to light again, stolen fossils end up being sold for large amounts of money in a black market of illegal fossil sales.

However, a new fossil identifying technique being pioneered in the USA could give state officials and regulators the edge when it comes to tracking down fossil thieves.

Scientists are testing a number of methods designed to chemically match a fossil with naturally occurring elements that seep into the bones during the fossilisation process from the surrounding matrix.  Although the work is in its early stages, the techniques could help identify the unique “chemical fingerprint” of a fossil site and help link any fossil bones up for auction to a particular site.  Using this information it would be possible to determine whether the bones and other relics had been obtained for sale by legal means.

Fossil Thieves

Testing on the chemical analysis of fossil matrices is continuing in the western United States.  So far, results indicate these new methods could tie 85% to 98% of fossil samples back to their original sites.  The theft of fossils from a dig site is extremely frustrating for the palaeontologists, not only are valuable fossils removed but often the sites are damaged as the thieves recklessly dig out the bones.  Valuable information is being destroyed or lost, limiting the amount of information a fossil site can yield.

Vincent Santucci, the Head of the National Park Service Palaeontology Programme put it succinctly when he stated:

“We’re not making T. rexes any more”.

Although the impact of the recession has dampened down the prices paid for rare fossils at auction, dinosaur bones, especially those of famous dinosaurs such as T. rex or Triceratops still fetch hundreds of thousands of dollars at auction.  Wealthy private collectors keen to add a “prize specimen” to their collection will gladly pay a high price to obtain a rare and precious dinosaur fossil.

In Utah, which is rife with dinosaur quarries and regularly the source of newly found species, the losses to scientific knowledge can be dramatic, commented Jim Kirkland, the state palaeontologist.  He said he’s terrified that vandals will hit a significant site before scientists can meticulously go through it.  Hopefully, this new labelling technique that associates fossils with a particular site will deter any would be thieves and looters.

Increasing Number of Thefts and Vandalism

With several hundred reported incidents each year, any new method of helping to preserve dig sites and protect fossils is most welcome by the scientific community.  The new mapping techniques, in association with stronger legislation could help protect many important palaeontological sites, helping to preserve them so that they can be properly studied.

With looting and even vandalism of fossil sites on the increase, let’s hope that this new technique provides an effective deterrent.

Author: Mike (ezine compliance)

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Late Permian Fossil shows evidence of Adaptations to an Arboreal Habitat

A new paper in the scientific publication of the Royal Society journal Proceedings Biology, describes a strange ancestor of mammals that may have lived in the trees.  This is the first evidence from the fossil record of a vertebrate adapting to an arboreal lifestyle.  It also reveals a change in the eco-systems of the Palaeozoic with land animals adapting to and exploiting new food sources, such as leaves in the branches of trees.

Tree Dwelling Vertebrate

The paper describes the articulated fossils and skull material of a primitive synapsid reptile.  The fossils of several individuals, including mature adults as well as juveniles were discovered in a single block of red mudstone discovered in central Russia’s Kirov region.  The long limbs and grasping hands of this 50 cm long animal seem perfectly suited to climbing trees.  The scientists have even found evidence of an “opposable thumb”, a particular adaptation of a digit to permit it to grasp and help the hand or foot to hold things, such as the branches of a tree.

The animal has been named Suminia getmanovi and the evolutionary changes that the fossils show allowed these animals to forage for food in tree branches, away from the fierce crocodilian-like predators and pelycosaurs that roamed on the ground.

In photographs of the fossil the animal is lying with the head towards the right, the long humerus and the elongated fingers can clearly be seen .

Excavating a Mudstone Block

The mudstone block containing the fossils, perhaps a group of animals that had drowned in a flash flood was discovered in 1994, but only recently have all the skeletons been available for close examination.

The team of researchers from the Field Museum in Chicago led by lead author Dr Jorg Frobisch have claimed that this is the earliest fossil evidence of a vertebrate adapting to a life in the trees, some 100 million years before the first true mammals.

Commenting on the anatomical features of this little reptile that helped it climb trees; Dr Frobisch stated:

“The hands and feet made up almost half of the length of its whole limb.  That’s humungous, if you compare it to your own arm”.

The large manus (hand) ended in long, slender and curved fingers, ideal for climbing.  The fingers probably had claws helping this small creature to grip as it clambered up tree trunks.

Dr Frobisch explained:

“In life these probably would have been covered in a hard, keratinous coating, much like in modern-day birds, these would have helped the animal climb”.

Adapted to Climbing

But the most significant observation the team made was that one finger on each hand and foot was “opposed” to the rest, much like a thumb.  Such an adaptation can be seen in our own thumbs, part of the tree climbing ancestry of humans.

Commentating on the importance of their discovery, Dr Frobisch added:

“It’s the first time in the fossil record that we’ve seen evidence of an opposable thumb”.

Between the time when Suminia lived, and the period to which fossils of the earliest-known tree-dwelling mammals have been dated, there is a gap of about 100 million years.

Simon Conway Morris, a palaeobiologist from the University of Cambridge added:

“In this case a vertebrate, specifically a synapsid – from which the mammals themselves emerged – was ahead of the game of climbing trees.  In fact it was about 30 million years ahead of schedule”.

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