Podcasts about Pliocene

Step back in time nearly 3 million years to the end Pliocene outside of Casablanca Morocco to visit the Ahl al Oughlam locality. Species featured in this episode include; Sivatherium, Agapornis atlanticus, Plioperdix, Kolpochoerus, Theropithicus, Struthio asiaticus, Geronticus, Lupulella, and early hominins.

A snowplow driver meets his match in a whiteout blizzard - the last surviving woolly mammoth.  Adapted from "A Relic of the Pliocene" by Jack London. CW: Includes themes and depictions of Aging, Animal Attacks, Gun Violence, and Potential Gun Violence & Death.    Starring Dean Puleo, Sam Hunt, and Eric Miller.  Written & Directed by Jonathan Inbody.  Editing & Sound Design by Jeff Lavin. Music by Samantha Hunt.  Episode Art by Jon-Michael Marinell.   Full series credits, sound effects attribution, and links to social media can be found at https://www.graymatterhorror.com/  If you like the show, leave us a 5-star rating and review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify! Every review helps! Join the Gray Matter Patreon at https://patreon.com/graymatterhorror  Buy Gray Matter Shirts at https://www.teepublic.com/user/graymatterhorror 

Hello Interactors,It's been awhile. I've been off getting our kids settled at college…including a transfer to Los Angeles. And I may have also been seduced by the lazy days of summer. After dropping our son in LA, my wife and I took some time to return to Santa Barbara where we first met. I was reminded of how uniquely beautiful that place is. It's also host to a unique collection of physical geography. And while it mostly enjoys a cool, calm environment, it can also endure bouts of destruction and renewal. A bit like all of us.Let's reflect, shall we…MIGRATIONS, MOUNTAINS, AND MEMORIESTraversing the globe dropping offspring is as old as humanity. As far as we know, early hominins like Homo erectus first stepped out of Africa two million years ago. The oldest human skeletal remains outside of Africa to date were found in Eurasia (now the country of Georgia) and are 1.8 million years old. These waves of migrations were likely driven by changes in climate, resources, societies, and technologies — the same factors driving migration today.Our oldest kin dispersed widely across Eurasia, reaching as far as Southeast Asia. Some may have even used primitive boats to navigate to and between islands. This all set the stage for later migrations of other hominins, including Homo sapiens, as they spread across globe over the next million years.I was reflecting on this on a hike my wife and I recently took in the foothills of Santa Barbara (where we had our first date 34 years ago!). The Santa Ynez Mountains were uplifted during the late Miocene (23.03 million years ago) to early Pliocene (2.58 million years ago) due to the tectonic interactions between the Pacific and North American plates. This exposed a complex layering of ancient marine and terrestrial sediments that were deposited over millions of years in a marine basin stretching from current day central valley of California to Northern Mexico.These sandstones, shale, and conglomerates are revealed along the trails, cliffs, ridges, and valleys we traversed, all formed by folding, faulting, and fanning of eroded debris. The mountains continue to be pushed upward at a rate of 1 to 4 millimeters per year due to the ongoing compression between the tectonic plates along the dynamic San Andreas Fault — the same fault that originally formed them millions of years ago.The Miocene epoch, with its warmer and more humid climate, supported dense forests of subtropical and temperate species in the Santa Ynez Mountains. As tectonic activity uplifted the region, new habitats emerged, setting the stage for diverse vegetation to develop. This period laid the groundwork for the ecosystems that would later evolve as the landscape continued to change.By the Pliocene, global cooling led to drier conditions, favoring the transition from these lush forests to the more arid-adapted plant communities found today. The chaparral, oak woodlands, and coastal sage scrub we hiked through are products of this shift. These plants adapted to the region's famous Mediterranean climate, characterized by hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters, and further shaped by the ongoing geological forces at work in the area.The resultant Santa Ynez Mountains significantly influence the weather patterns in Santa Barbara by acting as a barrier to the Pacific Ocean's marine air. Unlike much of the California coast, the Santa Barbara area faces south. During the summer, these south facing mountains trap the marine layer — a cool, moist air mass that forms over the ocean—leading to fog and low clouds along the coast. This marine layer helps keep temperatures in Santa Barbara cooler than in areas further inland, providing a mild and comfortable summer climate. Additionally, in winter, the mountains enhance orographic lift, causing moist air blown from the south to rise, cool, and condense, resulting in increased rainfall on the windward side of the range and benefiting the coastal regions. I recall one brisk winter morning in Santa Barbara in 1990 when frost appeared in the shadows on the roads and snow dusted the peaks of the Santa Ynez mountains.However, these mountains also create a rain shadow effect on their leeward side, where descending air becomes warmer and drier, leading to less precipitation. This topographical influence also contributes to the occurrence of sundowner winds—warm, dry winds that descend from the mountains into Santa Barbara. These winds can cause rapid temperature increases and lower humidity levels, sometimes creating critical fire weather conditions. My wife, then girlfriend, and I ran a 5k in 1991 that was overcome with smoke from fire stoked by these sundowner winds.BLAZE, BURST, AND BLOOMSimilar winds, Santa Ana winds, stoked a more and recent severe fire, the Thomas Fire, in 2017. These winds form east of the Sierra Nevada mountains over inland deserts and west towards the coast. Hot and dry winds channel through mountain passes and canyons, gaining speed as they descend across Southern California — and they can amplify even the smallest fire. The Thomas Fire was one of the largest wildfires in California history burning over 280,000 acres of wildlife and more than 1,000 buildings. Firefighters in Montecito, the northern-most destination, battled for days to save homes and lives.This left big chunks of the Montecito foothills charred. As crews worked to clear debris over the next month, the area was hit with a torrent of rain. While rainfall in Montecito was relatively minimal on the morning of January 9th, 2018, rainfall further up the mountain, enhanced by the mountain's orographic lift, was more severe. Residents were caught off guard as waves of water gained speed through canyons and creeks picking up charred debris and uprooting trees loosened by saturated soil.These post-fire debris flows, which included mud, rocks, and tree branches, reached heights of up to 15 feet speeding an estimated 20 miles per hour. The disaster resulted in 21 fatalities, two missing persons, and about 163 people hospitalized. Property damage exceeding $177 million, emergency response hit at least $7 million, and another $43 million was slated for cleanup and restoration.Six years later, hiking in these same hills, we saw evidence of county crews still restoring and re-shoring the foothills. We also saw evidence of plants re-emerging. Some of which are descendants of the same ancient plants that emerged in the Pliocene in the very same soil we were walking on. Hiking, and sometimes running, through the recovering foothills of Montecito, I was struck by how much this landscape mirrors a story of resilience that extends far beyond these hills and long before our time there. Over the previous two weeks my wife and I had crisscrossed the USA, east to NYC and west to LA, dropping our kids far away — modern migration with echoes of long ago, still alive still today. Like other humans that moved across vast distances, we and our kids are adapting to new environments and new stages in life. Just like the chaparral and black sage of these foothills.The plants that now re-emerge from the scorched and scarred earth are descendants of those that first appeared in the Pliocene. They use fire to propagate and regenerate in challenging terrain. Chaparral species, like black sage, evolved to thrive in this fire-prone environment. Fire-stimulated germination allows seeds to lye dormant until they're exposed to heat which triggers germination. Sprouts emerge from underground lignotubers, which are complex energy-storing structures that quickly regenerate new shoots — even amidst scorched soil. Serotiny, another adaptation, turns seed cones into popcorn like capsules that only open when exposed to fire's heat giving them a head start on invasive competition. These strategies enable chaparral plants to not only survive but to capitalize on the aftermath of wildfires and hillside scraping floods.In the charred and healing soil beneath our feet, I saw the enduring connection between past and present, nature and nurture — a reminder that our journeys, like those of the landscapes we inhabit, are shaped by the unyielding push and pull of time — of adaptation, and resilience. Just as the chaparral plants of the Santa Barbara foothills have evolved mechanisms to thrive after fire, our kids, too, will develop new strategies to adapt and flourish in their new environments. In the face of life's inevitable challenges, they will learn to not only survive but to rise stronger, just as the ancient mountains of Santa Barbara continue to do. All the while, the landscapes beneath our feet continue their unbroken cycle of destruction, renewal, and growth amidst ever evolving climates, resources, societies, and technologies. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit interplace.io

fWotD Episode 2680: Titanis Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Thursday, 5 September 2024 is Titanis.Titanis (meaning "Titan" for the mythological Greek Titans) is a genus of phorusrhacid ("terror birds", a group originating in South America), an extinct family of large, predatory birds, in the order Cariamiformes that inhabited the United States during the Pliocene and earliest Pleistocene. The first fossils were unearthed by amateur archaeologists Benjamin Waller and Robert Allen from the Santa Fe River in Florida and were named Titanis walleri by ornithologist Pierce Brodkorb in 1963, the species name honoring Waller. The holotype material is fragmentary, consisting of only an incomplete right tarsometatarsus (lower leg bone) and phalanx (toe bone), but comes from one of the largest phorusrhacid individuals known. In the years following the description, many more isolated elements have been unearthed from sites from other areas of Florida, Texas, and California. It was classified in the subfamily Phorusrhacinae, which includes some of the last and largest phorusrhacids like Devincenzia and Kelenken.Like all phorusrhacids, Titanis had elongated hind limbs, a thin pelvis, proportionally small wings, and a large skull with a hooked beak. It was one of the largest phorusrhacids, possibly similar in size to Phorusrhacos based on preserved material. More recent estimates placed Titanis at 1.4 to 2 meters (4.6 to 6.6 ft) in height and over 300 kilograms (660 lb) in body mass. Due to the fragmentary fossils, the anatomy is poorly known, but several distinct characters on the tarsometatarsus have been observed. The skull is estimated to have been between 36 centimetres (14 in) and 56 centimetres (22 in) in length, one of the largest known from any bird.Phorusrhacids are thought to have been ground predators or scavengers, and have often been considered apex predators that dominated Cenozoic South America in the absence of placental mammalian predators, though they did co-exist with some large, carnivorous borhyaenid mammals. Titanis co-existed with many placental predators in North America and was likely one of several apex predators in its ecosystem. The tarsometatarsus was long and slender, like that of its relative Kelenken, which has been suggested to have been agile and capable of running at high speeds. Studies of the related Andalgalornis show that large phorusrhacids had very stiff and stress-resistant skulls; this indicates they may have swallowed small prey whole or targeted larger prey with repetitive strikes of the beak. Titanis is known from the Pliocene deposits of Florida, southern California, and southeastern Texas, regions that had large open savannas and a menagerie of mammalian megafauna. It likely preyed on mammals such as the extinct armadillo relatives Holmesina and Glyptotherium, equids, tapirs, capybaras, and other Pliocene herbivores. Titanis is unique among phorusrhacids in that it is the only one known from North America, crossing over from South America during the Great American Interchange.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:50 UTC on Thursday, 5 September 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Titanis on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm neural Brian.

Paleoanthropology is booming with discoveries, reshaping our understanding of human evolution. Lucy's 1974 find stands as a milestone, providing crucial insights into early hominins. Her species, Australopithecus afarensis, remains a key reference, revealing bipedalism and dietary adaptations. Recent findings suggest bipedality evolved from arboreal upright apes, not chimpanzee-like ancestors. Earlier australopiths show bipedality predates dietary changes, indicating walking aided dietary shifts. Some australopiths may have used stone tools before significant brain enlargement in Homo. Lucy's discovery led to an explosion of insights, showing she was part of a diverse group of bipedal apes in the mid-Pliocene. Lucy remains central to understanding human evolution, highlighting the importance of her discovery in shaping our knowledge. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39820]

Paleoanthropology is booming with discoveries, reshaping our understanding of human evolution. Lucy's 1974 find stands as a milestone, providing crucial insights into early hominins. Her species, Australopithecus afarensis, remains a key reference, revealing bipedalism and dietary adaptations. Recent findings suggest bipedality evolved from arboreal upright apes, not chimpanzee-like ancestors. Earlier australopiths show bipedality predates dietary changes, indicating walking aided dietary shifts. Some australopiths may have used stone tools before significant brain enlargement in Homo. Lucy's discovery led to an explosion of insights, showing she was part of a diverse group of bipedal apes in the mid-Pliocene. Lucy remains central to understanding human evolution, highlighting the importance of her discovery in shaping our knowledge. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39820]

Paleoanthropology is booming with discoveries, reshaping our understanding of human evolution. Lucy's 1974 find stands as a milestone, providing crucial insights into early hominins. Her species, Australopithecus afarensis, remains a key reference, revealing bipedalism and dietary adaptations. Recent findings suggest bipedality evolved from arboreal upright apes, not chimpanzee-like ancestors. Earlier australopiths show bipedality predates dietary changes, indicating walking aided dietary shifts. Some australopiths may have used stone tools before significant brain enlargement in Homo. Lucy's discovery led to an explosion of insights, showing she was part of a diverse group of bipedal apes in the mid-Pliocene. Lucy remains central to understanding human evolution, highlighting the importance of her discovery in shaping our knowledge. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39820]

Paleoanthropology is booming with discoveries, reshaping our understanding of human evolution. Lucy's 1974 find stands as a milestone, providing crucial insights into early hominins. Her species, Australopithecus afarensis, remains a key reference, revealing bipedalism and dietary adaptations. Recent findings suggest bipedality evolved from arboreal upright apes, not chimpanzee-like ancestors. Earlier australopiths show bipedality predates dietary changes, indicating walking aided dietary shifts. Some australopiths may have used stone tools before significant brain enlargement in Homo. Lucy's discovery led to an explosion of insights, showing she was part of a diverse group of bipedal apes in the mid-Pliocene. Lucy remains central to understanding human evolution, highlighting the importance of her discovery in shaping our knowledge. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39820]

Paleoanthropology is booming with discoveries, reshaping our understanding of human evolution. Lucy's 1974 find stands as a milestone, providing crucial insights into early hominins. Her species, Australopithecus afarensis, remains a key reference, revealing bipedalism and dietary adaptations. Recent findings suggest bipedality evolved from arboreal upright apes, not chimpanzee-like ancestors. Earlier australopiths show bipedality predates dietary changes, indicating walking aided dietary shifts. Some australopiths may have used stone tools before significant brain enlargement in Homo. Lucy's discovery led to an explosion of insights, showing she was part of a diverse group of bipedal apes in the mid-Pliocene. Lucy remains central to understanding human evolution, highlighting the importance of her discovery in shaping our knowledge. Series: "CARTA - Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny" [Humanities] [Science] [Show ID: 39820]

fWotD Episode 2633: Alpine ibex Welcome to Featured Wiki of the Day, your daily dose of knowledge from Wikipedia’s finest articles.The featured article for Saturday, 20 July 2024 is Alpine ibex.The Alpine ibex (Capra ibex), also known as the steinbock, is a European species of goat that lives in the Alps. It is one of ten species in the genus Capra and its closest living relative is the Iberian ibex. The Alpine ibex is a sexually dimorphic species; males are larger and carry longer horns than females. Its coat is brownish-grey. Alpine ibexes tend to live in steep, rough terrain and open alpine meadows. They can be found at elevations as high as 3,300 m (10,800 ft) and their sharp hooves allow them to scale their mountainous habitat.Alpine ibexes primarily feed on grass and are active throughout the year. Although they are social animals, adult males and females segregate for most of the year, coming together only to mate. During the breeding season, males use their long horns to fight for access to females. Ibexes have few predators but may succumb to parasites and diseases.By the 19th century, the Alpine Ibex had been extirpated from most of its range and it went through a population bottleneck of fewer than 100 individuals during its near-extinction event, leading to very low genetic diversity across populations. The species has been successfully reintroduced to parts of its historical range. All individuals living today descend from the stock in Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy. As of 2020, the IUCN lists the species as being of least concern.Carl Linnaeus first described the Alpine ibex in 1758. It is classified in the genus Capra with nine other species of goat. Capra is Latin for "she-goat" while the species name "ibex" is translated from Latin as "chamois" and is possibly derived from an earlier Alpine language.Fossils of the genus Tossunnoria are found in late Miocene deposits in China; these fossils appear to have been transitional between goats and their ancestors. The genus Capra may have originated in Central Asia and spread to Europe, the Caucasus, and East Africa from the Pliocene and into the Pleistocene. Mitochondrial and Y chromosome evidence show hybridisation of species in this lineage. Fossils of the Alpine ibex dating from the last glacial period during the late Pleistocene have been found in France and Italy. The Alpine Ibex and the Iberian ibex (C. pyrenaica) probably evolved from the extinct Pleistocene species Capra camburgensis, whose fossils have been found in Germany. The Alpine ibex appears to have been larger during the Pleistocene than in the modern day.In the 20th century, the Nubian (C. nubiana), walia (C. walie), and Siberian ibex (C. sibirica) were considered to be subspecies of the Alpine ibex; populations in the Alps were given the trinomial of C. i. ibex. Genetic evidence from 2006 has supported the status of these Ibexes as separate species.The following cladogram of seven Capra species is based on 2022 mitochondrial evidence:Alpine ibexes are sexually dimorphic. Males grow to a height of 90 to 101 cm (35 to 40 in) at the withers with a body length of 149–171 cm (59–67 in) and weigh 67–117 kg (148–258 lb). Females are much smaller and have a shoulder height of 73–84 cm (29–33 in), a body length of 121–141 cm (48–56 in), and weigh 17–32 kg (37–71 lb).The Alpine ibex is a stocky animal with a tough neck and robust legs with short metapodials. Compared with most other wild goats, the species has a wide, shortened snout. Adaptations for climbing include sharp, highly separated hooves and a rubbery callus under the front feet. Both male and female Alpine ibexes have large, backwards-curving horns with an elliptical cross-section and a trilateral-shaped core. Transverse ridges on the front surface of the horns mark an otherwise flat surface. At 69–98 cm (27–39 in), the horns of males are substantially longer than those of females, which reach only 18–35 cm (7.1–13.8 in) in length.The species has brownish-grey hair over most of its body; this hair's colour is lighter on the belly, and there are dark markings on the chin and throat. The hair on the chest region is nearly black and there are stripes along the dorsal (back) surface. The Alpine ibex is duller-coloured than other members of its genus. As with other goats, only males have a beard. Ibexes moult in spring, when their thick winter coat consisting of woolly underfur is replaced with a short, thin summer coat. Their winter coat grows back in the autumn. As in other members of Capra, the Alpine ibex has glands near the eyes, groin and feet but there are none on the face.The Alpine ibex is native to the Alps of central Europe; its range includes France, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, Germany, and Austria. Fossils of the species have been found as far south as Greece, where it became locally extinct over 7,500 years ago due to human predation. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, the species disappeared from much of its range due to hunting, leaving by the 19th century one surviving population in and around Gran Paradiso, Italy. The species has since been reintroduced into parts of its former range, as well as new areas such as Slovenia and Bulgaria.The Alpine Ibex is an excellent climber; it occupies steep, rough terrain at elevations of 1,800 to 3,300 m (5,900 to 10,800 ft). It prefers to live an open areas but when there is little snow, and depending on population density, adult males may gather in larch and mixed larch-spruce woodland. Outside the breeding season, the sexes live in separate habitats. Females are more likely to be found on steep slopes while males prefer more-level ground. Males inhabit lowland meadows during the spring, when fresh grass appears, and climb to alpine meadows during the summer. In early winter, both males and females move to steep, rocky slopes to avoid dense buildups of snow. Alpine ibexes prefer slopes of 30–45°, and take refuge in small caves and overhangs.The Alpine ibex is strictly herbivorous; its diet consists mostly of grass, which is preferred all year; during the summer, ibexes supplement their diet with herbs, while during autumn and winter they also eat dwarf shrubs and conifer shoots. The most-commonly eaten grass genera are Agrostis, Avena, Calamagrostis, Festuca, Phleum, Poa, Sesleria, and Trisetum. In the spring, animals of both sexes spend about the same amount of time feeding during the day, while in summer, females, particularly those that are lactating, eat more than males. High temperatures cause heat stress in large adult males, reducing their feeding time, but they may avoid this problem by feeding at night.In Gran Paradiso, home ranges of the Alpine Ibex can exceed 700 ha (1,700 acres) and in reintroduced populations, home ranges may approach 3,000 ha (7,400 acres). Home-range size depends on the availability of resources and the time of year. Home ranges tend to be largest during summer and autumn, smallest in winter, and intermediate in spring. Females' home ranges are usually smaller than those of males. Ibexes do not hibernate during the winter; they take shelter on cold winter nights and bask in the mornings. They also reduce their heart rate and metabolism. The Alpine ibex may compete for resources with chamois and red deer; the presence of these species may force the ibex to occupy high elevations. The Alpine ibex's climbing ability is such that it has been observed scaling the 57-degree slopes of the Cingino Dam in Piedmont, Italy, where it licks salts. Only females and kids, which are lighter and have shorter legs than adult males, will climb the steep dam. Kids have been observed at 49 m (161 ft), ascending in a zig-zag path while descending in straight paths.The Alpine ibex is a social species but it tends to live in groups that are based on sex and age. For most of the year, adult males group separately from females, and older males live separately from young males. Female groups consist of 5–10 members and male groups usually have 2–16 members but sometimes have more than 50. Dependent kids live with their mothers in female groups. Segregation between the sexes is a gradual process; males younger than nine years may still associate with female groups. Adult males, particularly older males, are more likely to be found alone than females. Social spacing tends to be looser in the summer, when there is more room to feed. Ibexes have stable social connections; they consistently regroup with the same individuals when ecological conditions force them together. Female groups tend to be more stable than male groups.In the breeding season, which occurs in December and January, adult males and females gather together, and separate again in April and May. Among males, a dominance hierarchy based on size, age, and horn length exists. Hierarchies are established outside the breeding season, allowing males to focus more on mating and less on fighting. Males use their horns for combat; they will bash the sides of rivals or clash head-to-head, the latter often involves them standing bipedally and clashing downwards.Alpine ibexes communicate mainly through short, sharp whistles that serve mostly as alarm calls and may occur singularly or in succession with short gaps. Females and their young communicate by bleating.The mating season begins in December and typically lasts for around six weeks. During this time, male herds break up into smaller groups and search for females. The rut takes place in two phases; in the first phase, males interact with females as a group and in the second phase, one male separates from his group to follow a female in oestrus. Dominant males between nine and twelve years old follow a female and guard her from rivals while subordinate, younger males between two and six years old try to sneak past the tending male when he is distracted. If the female flees, both dominant and subordinate males will try to follow her. During courtship, the male stretches the neck, flicks the tongue, curls the upper lip, urinates, and sniffs the female. After copulation, the male rejoins his group and restarts the first phase of the rut. Environmental conditions can affect courtship in the species; for example, snow can limit the males' ability to follow females and mate with them.The female is in oestrus for around 20 days and gestation averages around five months, and typically results in the birth of one or sometimes two kids. Females give birth away from their social groups on rocky slopes that are relatively safe from predators. After a few days, the kids can move on their own. Mothers and kids gather into nursery groups, where young are nursed for up to five months. Nursery groups can also include non-lactating females. Alpine ibexes reach sexual maturity at 18 months but females continue to grow until they are around five or six years old, and males are nine to eleven years old.The horns grow throughout life. Young are born without horns, which become visible as tiny tips at one month and reach 20–25 mm (0.8–1.0 in) in the second month. In males, the horns grow at about 8 cm (3.1 in) per year for the first five-and-a-half years, slowing to half that rate once the animal reaches 10 years of age. The slowing of horn growth in males coincides with aging. The age of an ibex can be determined by annual growth rings in the horns, which stop growing in winter.Male Alpine Ibexes live for around 16 years while females live for around 20 years. The species has a high adult survival rate compared with other herbivores around its size. In one study, all kids reached two years of age and the majority of adults lived for 13 years, although most 13-year-old males did not reach the age of 15. Alpine ibexes have a low rate of predation; their mountain habitat keeps them safe from predators like wolves, though golden eagles may prey on young. In Gran Paradiso, causes of death are old age, lack of food, and disease. They are also killed by avalanches.Alpine ibexes may suffer necrosis and fibrosis caused by the bacteria Brucella melitensis, and foot rot caused by Dichelobacter nodosus. Infections from Mycoplasma conjunctivae damage the eye via keratoconjunctivitis and can lead to death rates of up to 30%. Ibexes can host gastrointestinal parasite]s such as coccidia, strongyles, Teladorsagia circumcincta, and Marshallagi amarshalli as well as lungworms, mainly Muellerius capillaris. Several individuals have died from heart diseases, including arteriosclerosis, cardiac fibrosis, sarcosporidiosis, and valvular heart disease.During the Middle Ages, the Alpine ibex ranged throughout the Alpine region of Europe. Starting in the early 16th century, the overall population declined due almost entirely to hunting by humans, especially with the introduction of firearms. By the 19th century, only around 100 individuals remained in and around Gran Paradiso in north-west Italy and on the Italian-French border. In 1821, the Government of Piedmont banned hunting of the Alpine ibex and in 1854, Victor Emmanuel II declared Gran Paradiso a royal hunting reserve. In 1920, his grandson Victor Emmanuel III of Italy donated the land to the state of Italy and it was established as a national park. By 1933, the Alpine ibex population reached 4,000 but subsequent mismanagement by the Fascist government caused it to drop to around 400 by 1945. Their protection improved after the war and by 2005, there were 4,000 in the national park. In the late 20th century, the Gran Paradiso population was used for reintroductions into other parts of Italy.Starting in 1902, several Alpine ibexes from Gran Paradiso were taken into captive facilities in Switzerland for selective breeding and reintroduction into the wild. Until 1948, translocated founder animals were captive-bred. Afterwards, there were reintroductions of wild-born specimens from established populations in Piz Albris, Le Pleureur, and Augstmatthorn. These gave rise to the populations in France and Austria. Alpine ibexes also recolonised areas on their own. The Alpine ibex population reached 3,020 in 1914, 20,000 in 1991, and 55,297 in 2015, and by 1975, the species occupied much of its medieval range. In the 1890s, ibexes were introduced to Slovenia despite the lack of evidence of their presence there following the last glacial period. In 1980, ibexes were translocated to Bulgaria.Between 2015 and 2017, there were around 9,000 ibexes in 30 colonies in France, over 17,800 individuals and 30 colonies in Switzerland, over 16,400 ibexes in 67 colonies in Italy, around 9,000 in 27 colonies in Austria, around 500 in five colonies in Germany, and almost 280 ibexes and four colonies in Slovenia. As of 2020, the IUCN considers the Alpine ibex to be of Least Concern with a stable population trend. It was given a recovery score of 79%, making it "moderately depleted". While the species would likely have gone extinct without conservation efforts in the 19th and 20th centuries, as of 2021, it has a low conservation dependence. According to the IUCN, without current protections, the population decline of the species would be minimal. Some countries allow limited hunting.Having gone through a genetic bottleneck, the Alpine ibex population has low genetic diversity and is at risk of inbreeding depression. A 2020 analysis found highly deleterious mutations were lost in these new populations but they had also gained mildly deleterious ones. The genetic purity of the species may be threatened by hybridisation with domestic goats, which have been allowed to roam in the Alpine Ibex's habitat. The genetic bottleneck of populations may increase vulnerability to infectious diseases because their immune system has low major histocompatibility complex diversity. In the Bornes Massif region of the French Alps, management actions, including a test-and-cull program to control outbreaks, effectively reduced Brucella infection prevalence in adult females from 51% in 2013 to 21% in 2018, and active infections also significantly declined.The Alpine ibex is called the steinbock, which originated from the Old High German word steinboc, literally "stone buck". Several European names for the animal developed from this, including the French bouquetin and the Italian stambecco. The Alpine ibex is one of many animals depicted in the art of the Late Pleistocene-era Magdalenian culture in Western Europe. Local people used Ibexes for traditional medicine; the horn material was used to counter cramps, poisoning, and hysteria, while the blood was thought to prevent stones from developing in the bladder. The species' value as a source of medicine led to its near extinction. Since its recovery, the Alpine ibex has been seen as a resilient symbol of the mountain range. The species is depicted on the coat of arms of the Swiss canton of Grisons.Alpine Ibex European Specialist Group (GSE-AIESG)This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:31 UTC on Saturday, 20 July 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Alpine ibex on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm long-form Gregory.

Summary: Where are tanuki found? Join Kiersten as she looks at the range of the Japanese raccoon dog.   For my hearing impaired listeners, a complete transcript of this podcast follows the show notes on Podbean   Show Notes:  Biology and Conservation of Wild Canids, edited by David W. Macdonald and Claudio Sillero-Zubiri. Raccoon dogs: Finnish and Japanese raccoon dogs - on the road to speciation?” By Kaarina Kauhala and Midair Saeki, pgs 217-226. https://static1.squarespace.com   Music written and performed by Katherine Camp   Transcript  (Piano music plays) Kiersten - This is Ten Things I Like About…a ten minute, ten episode podcast about unknown or misunderstood wildlife. (Piano music stops) Welcome to Ten Things I Like About… I'm Kiersten, your host, and this is a podcast about misunderstood or unknown creatures in nature. Some we'll find right out side our doors and some are continents away but all are fascinating.  This podcast will focus ten, ten minute episodes on different animals and their amazing characteristics. Please join me on this extraordinary journey, you won't regret it.   Last episode I introduced you the Japanese raccoon dog, the tanuki. In this episode we're going to talk about where they can be found. Which I s the second thing I like about them. You may be thinking, it's a Japanese raccoon dog, so what more is there to discuss. They're from Japan. You are right, listener, but that's not the end of the story. Let's take a deeper dive into where the tanuki can be found. The native range of the raccoon dog covers much of China, northeast Indochina, Korea, Amur, and Ussuri regions of Eastern Siberia, Mongolia, and Japan.  The earliest known ancestors of the raccoon dog are 3.7 million years old. Fossils of a subspecies was found in Europe 4 million years ago. Nyctereutes megamastoides, a large ancestor of raccoon dogs, lived in Europe while another subspecies, Nyctereutes sinensis lived in China during the Pliocene era and the early Pleistocene era. The distribution of this animal decreased during the Pleistocene. Nyctereutes megamastoides went extinct and Nyctereutes sinensis decreased in size. The later Chinese species evolved into the modern species we know today. The ancestors of todays residents of Japan probably colonized this area between 0.4 Ma and 12,000 years ago using the Sakhalin or Korean peninsulas. When the Japan Sea opened approximately 12,000 years ago the modern tanuki became isolated from other subspecies. These individuals began to adapt to a mild marine climate. Another subspecies evolved in Russia adapting to much colder climates. Their fur caught the eye of humans who introduced them to European parts of the Soviet Union in the first half of the twentieth century. As many introduced species do, the raccoon dog spread quickly and was detected in Finland in the 1930s. The Finnish population peaked in the 1980s and has remained stable. Raccoon dogs are currently among the most numerous carnivores in Finland. The two different populations of raccoon dogs have evolved to be distinct from each other in size and behavior. We'll talk more about these differences in future episodes.    Where within these two distinctive populations, Japan and Finland, can we find the raccoon dogs? In Japan, they can be found all over the country, but they can be classified into mountain types and village types, at least in the satoyama habitat where their home range use was studied. The mountain type where found to favor secondary forest and herbaceous areas. The village type was found in agricultural landscapes. Within both of these types, the least favorite habitats were the cedar plantations and the most favored were rice fields. Much like this mammals, namesake, the North American raccoon, tanuki can be found in urban areas as well. Within urban cities, they are found most often in areas with forest cover. In Finland, the tanuki uses different habitat seasonally. In southern Finland they used a barren heath habitat in all seasons, while they used moist heath habitat in late summer. Lake shore were all popular in both summer and autumn where food resources were plentiful regardless of the season. Water is also useful when these mammals encounter domestic dogs. They often run into the water to get away from the dogs. Rock piles on barren heaths provide great denning options during breeding season. When young are able to leave the den in mid-summer, parents will take them into meadows and abandoned fields. In late summer moist heath fields attract these omnivorous creature with abundant berries and insects. Autumn leads the raccoon dog to pine forests in search of abundant berries and into human cultivated gardens. I found it interesting that these two populations used available habitat and resources in different ways. It shows how adaptable these creatures are. It speaks well of their continued survival in an ever changing world. It also, once again, shows a similarity with their namesake, Procyon lotor.    That's it for this episode of the Tanuki. I know we got a little scientific in this episode but my second favorite thing about this critter is where they are found and that could only be described with a little fossil talk. Thanks for hanging in there.   If you're enjoying this podcast please recommend me to friends and family and take a moment to give me a rating on whatever platform your listening. It will help me reach more listeners and give the animals I talk about an even better chance at change.    Join me next week for another fascinating episode about Tanuki.       (Piano Music plays)  This has been an episode of Ten Things I like About with Kiersten and Company. Original music written and performed by Katherine Camp, piano extraordinaire.

Adele speaks with special guest Kane Fleury, curator of Natural Science at Tūhura Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand! Kane talks us through what steps were taken to move a fossil trackway made by the Moa, a famous flightless bird - plus extra info on avian extinctions in Aotearoa affecting the Adzebill and Haast's Eagle. We also touch on trilobite conga lines, Locked in Time by Dr Dean Lomax, and Māori using moa bones as tools and musical instruments. Links:@kane.fleury on Instagram@KaneFleury on TwitterTūhura Otago Museum on TwitterTūhura Otago MuseumMoa Footprints Paper:The moa footprints from the Pliocene – early Pleistocene of Kyeburn, Otago, New ZealandRNZ Article on Moving the Moa FootprintsSouth Island's first moa footprints are millions of years old - studyTVNZ News covering the Moa Footprints:Fossilised moa footprints spill secrets of the past | Seven SharpMāori moa and extinction in Aotearoa New Zealand: Dead as the moa: oral traditions show that early Māori recognised extinctionNew Zealand Birds Online - South Island Giant MoaRandom Fossil Fact:Collective behaviour in 480-million-year-old trilobite arthropods from MoroccoTrilobite Fossils Show Conga Line Frozen for 480 Million YearsTrilobite Fossil Shows Animals Have Stood in Line for Hundreds of Millions of YearsThis episode is brought to you by Dinosaur Trips! Explore the world and see the best museums, meet experts and even dig up real dinosaurs. For more info visit dinosaurtrips.com and email zach@dinosaurtrips.com about the Badlands and Beyond Trip.Dinosaur Trips It's been 66 million years. Why wait any longer? Join an upcoming trip!Pals in Palaeo @palsinpalaeoHost: Adele Pentland @palaeodelOnline StoreTranscriptsThe Pals in Palaeo Cover ArtJenny Zhao Design @jennyzdesignCrumpet Club House@crumpetclubhouse The Pals in Palaeo Theme MusicHello Kelly @hellokellymusic Podcast Producer + Editor Jean-César Puechmarin @cesar_on_safariPodcast EditorFrançois "Francy" Goudreault @hellofrancy

fWotD Episode 2468: Mount Berlin Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.The featured article for Tuesday, 6 February 2024 is Mount Berlin.Mount Berlin is a glacier-covered volcano in Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica, 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the Amundsen Sea. It is a roughly 20-kilometre-wide (12 mi) mountain with parasitic vents that consists of two coalesced volcanoes: Berlin proper with the 2-kilometre-wide (1.2 mi) Berlin Crater and Merrem Peak with a 2.5-by-1-kilometre-wide (1.55 mi × 0.62 mi) crater, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) away from Berlin. The summit of the volcano is 3,478 metres (11,411 ft) above sea level. It has a volume of 200 cubic kilometres (48 cu mi) and rises from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet. It is part of the Marie Byrd Land Volcanic Province. Trachyte is the dominant volcanic rock and occurs in the form of lava flows and pyroclastic rocks. The volcano began erupting during the Pliocene and was active into the late Pleistocene and the Holocene. Several tephra layers encountered in ice cores all over Antarctica – but in particular at Mount Moulton – have been linked to Mount Berlin, which is the most important source of such tephras in the region. The tephra layers were formed by explosive eruptions that generated high eruption columns. Presently, fumarolic activity occurs at Mount Berlin and forms ice towers from freezing steam.This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 01:06 UTC on Tuesday, 6 February 2024.For the full current version of the article, see Mount Berlin on Wikipedia.This podcast uses content from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.Visit our archives at wikioftheday.com and subscribe to stay updated on new episodes.Follow us on Mastodon at @wikioftheday@masto.ai.Also check out Curmudgeon's Corner, a current events podcast.Until next time, I'm Emma Neural.

SHASTHRAKOUTHUKAM | ശാസ്ത്രകൗതുകം | MAMMOTH A mammoth is any species of the extinct elephantid genus Mammuthus. The various species of mammoth were commonly equipped with long, curved tusks. They lived from the Pliocene epoch into the Holocene about 4,000 years ago, and various species existed in Africa, Europe, Asia, and North America.

An Alaskan hunter stops at a remote cabin far out on the outskirts of known country and tells our narrator an incredible tale of coming across a bull mammoth that killed his dog and her pups. Knowing that mammoths have been considered extinct for millions of years, our narrator asks the hunter to complete the story, which he does, telling of how he chased the mammoth into a box canyon and used only his brain to outwit and outlast the giant beast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When a group of miners uncovered a skull deep in a mine shaft on the western slopes of Bald Mountain in Calaveras County, California, it was believed, at least initially, to be a history-changing discovery. The owner of the mine didn't know at first what it was that he'd dug up that day in 1866. And when he shared it with those who might, including the State Geologist of California, things went a bit, well, off the rails. Executive Producers: Maria Trimarchi and Holly FreyProducer & Editor: Casby BiasSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode we head to the Gray Fossil Site in Northeast Tennessee stepping back 4.5 million years to explore the Pliocene forest.

Jean-Jacques HublinPaléantropologieCollège de FranceAnnée 2022-2023Colloque - Les héritiers de Lucy / Lucy's Heirs : New Hominid Fossils from the Basal and Mid-Pliocene of KenyaIntervenant(s)Martin Pickford, Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, Paris, FranceColloque en hommage à Yves Coppens.Organisé par le Collège de France et la Fondation Hugot du Collège de France.Avec le soutien du Musée de l'Homme et de la Société des Amis du Musée de l'Homme.PrésentationLa disparition d'Yves Coppens le 22 juin 2022 a provoqué une vive émotion au sein de la communauté des paléoanthropologues et bien au-delà. Cette personnalité hors norme a profondément marqué sa discipline à la fois par une contribution scientifique exceptionnelle, mais aussi par un impact inégalé auprès d'un très large public. En son hommage, la chaire de Paléoanthropologie du Collège de France organise, avec le soutien de plusieurs partenaires, un colloque exceptionnel intitulé « Les héritiers de Lucy ». Il se tiendra dans l'amphithéâtre Marguerite de Navarre du Collège de France les 15 et 16 juin prochains.Depuis la découverte de la fameuse « Lucy », les découvertes se sont succédé sur le continent africain à un rythme toujours accéléré, avec notamment la mise en évidence de plusieurs espèces d'Hominines fossiles jusqu'alors inconnues. Les innovations méthodologiques ont été, elles aussi, nombreuses et ont conduit à des réinterprétations parfois radicales des données existantes. Ces progrès spectaculaires offrent aujourd'hui à nos yeux un paysage complètement renouvelé. Nous sommes passés d'une vision linéaire de l'évolution humaine à un buissonnement et une diversité longtemps insoupçonnée de formes d'Hominines aujourd'hui éteintes.Le colloque « Les héritiers de Lucy » rassemblera les meilleurs spécialistes internationaux des Hominines anciens. Il permettra de faire le point sur les nombreuses avancées réalisées depuis les premiers travaux d'Yves Coppens au Tchad et en Éthiopie. Plusieurs générations de chercheurs pourront y confronter leurs résultats et leurs points de vue sur une période cruciale de notre évolution qui a vu l'émergence du genre Homo et porte donc en germe l'Homme véritable.

Jean-Jacques HublinPaléantropologieCollège de FranceAnnée 2022-2023Colloque - Les héritiers de Lucy / Lucy's Heirs : Mid-Pliocene Hominin Diversity RevisitedIntervenant(s)Fred Spoor, Natural History Museum, London, UK – Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, GermanyHester Hanegraef, Natural History Museum, London, UKColloque en hommage à Yves Coppens.Organisé par le Collège de France et la Fondation Hugot du Collège de France.Avec le soutien du Musée de l'Homme et de la Société des Amis du Musée de l'Homme.PrésentationLa disparition d'Yves Coppens le 22 juin 2022 a provoqué une vive émotion au sein de la communauté des paléoanthropologues et bien au-delà. Cette personnalité hors norme a profondément marqué sa discipline à la fois par une contribution scientifique exceptionnelle, mais aussi par un impact inégalé auprès d'un très large public. En son hommage, la chaire de Paléoanthropologie du Collège de France organise, avec le soutien de plusieurs partenaires, un colloque exceptionnel intitulé « Les héritiers de Lucy ». Il se tiendra dans l'amphithéâtre Marguerite de Navarre du Collège de France les 15 et 16 juin prochains.Depuis la découverte de la fameuse « Lucy », les découvertes se sont succédé sur le continent africain à un rythme toujours accéléré, avec notamment la mise en évidence de plusieurs espèces d'Hominines fossiles jusqu'alors inconnues. Les innovations méthodologiques ont été, elles aussi, nombreuses et ont conduit à des réinterprétations parfois radicales des données existantes. Ces progrès spectaculaires offrent aujourd'hui à nos yeux un paysage complètement renouvelé. Nous sommes passés d'une vision linéaire de l'évolution humaine à un buissonnement et une diversité longtemps insoupçonnée de formes d'Hominines aujourd'hui éteintes.Le colloque « Les héritiers de Lucy » rassemblera les meilleurs spécialistes internationaux des Hominines anciens. Il permettra de faire le point sur les nombreuses avancées réalisées depuis les premiers travaux d'Yves Coppens au Tchad et en Éthiopie. Plusieurs générations de chercheurs pourront y confronter leurs résultats et leurs points de vue sur une période cruciale de notre évolution qui a vu l'émergence du genre Homo et porte donc en germe l'Homme véritable.

Jean-Jacques HublinPaléantropologieCollège de FranceAnnée 2022-2023Colloque - Les héritiers de Lucy / Lucy's Heirs : On the Pliocene Origins of Stone Tool UseIntervenant(s)Shannon P. McPherron, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, GermanyColloque en hommage à Yves Coppens.Organisé par le Collège de France et la Fondation Hugot du Collège de France.Avec le soutien du Musée de l'Homme et de la Société des Amis du Musée de l'Homme.PrésentationLa disparition d'Yves Coppens le 22 juin 2022 a provoqué une vive émotion au sein de la communauté des paléoanthropologues et bien au-delà. Cette personnalité hors norme a profondément marqué sa discipline à la fois par une contribution scientifique exceptionnelle, mais aussi par un impact inégalé auprès d'un très large public. En son hommage, la chaire de Paléoanthropologie du Collège de France organise, avec le soutien de plusieurs partenaires, un colloque exceptionnel intitulé « Les héritiers de Lucy ». Il se tiendra dans l'amphithéâtre Marguerite de Navarre du Collège de France les 15 et 16 juin prochains.Depuis la découverte de la fameuse « Lucy », les découvertes se sont succédé sur le continent africain à un rythme toujours accéléré, avec notamment la mise en évidence de plusieurs espèces d'Hominines fossiles jusqu'alors inconnues. Les innovations méthodologiques ont été, elles aussi, nombreuses et ont conduit à des réinterprétations parfois radicales des données existantes. Ces progrès spectaculaires offrent aujourd'hui à nos yeux un paysage complètement renouvelé. Nous sommes passés d'une vision linéaire de l'évolution humaine à un buissonnement et une diversité longtemps insoupçonnée de formes d'Hominines aujourd'hui éteintes.Le colloque « Les héritiers de Lucy » rassemblera les meilleurs spécialistes internationaux des Hominines anciens. Il permettra de faire le point sur les nombreuses avancées réalisées depuis les premiers travaux d'Yves Coppens au Tchad et en Éthiopie. Plusieurs générations de chercheurs pourront y confronter leurs résultats et leurs points de vue sur une période cruciale de notre évolution qui a vu l'émergence du genre Homo et porte donc en germe l'Homme véritable.

As the climate changes, what can history teach us about the future? Tripti Bhattacharya, Thonis family professor of earth and environmental sciences at Syracuse University, looks into the past to find out. My research focuses on understanding the sensitivity of regional rainfall to global climate change. I use a ​variety of methods, ranging from geochemical […]

As carbon concentrations rise, conditions are becoming more like they were 3 million years ago, when the area was wetter and the rain was heavier.

As carbon concentrations rise, conditions are becoming more like they were 3 million years ago, when the area was wetter and the rain was heavier.

More great books at LoyalBooks.com

Photo:  The Vertebrata of the Pliocene deposits of Britain.  By E. T. Newton. Pub. by order of the lords commissioners of Her Majesty's Treasury. 5/8: Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth's Extinct Worlds, by Thomas Halliday  Hardcover – February 1, 2022 https://www.amazon.com/Otherlands-Journeys-Earths-Extinct-Ecosystems/dp/0593132882/ref=pd_bxgy_img_sccl_1/139-3114007-6820565?pd_rd_w=q9bMH&content-id=amzn1.sym.6b3eefea-7b16-43e9-bc45-2e332cbf99da&pf_rd_p=6b3eefea-7b16-43e9-bc45-2e332cbf99da&pf_rd_r=861DVHNT17NQGPGYMX3W&pd_rd_wg=cvdIf&pd_rd_r=8d2d61ff-df22-48a6-bc73-b851700178a1&pd_rd_i=0593132882&psc=1 The past is past, but it does leave clues, and Thomas Halliday has used cutting-edge science to decipher them more completely than ever before. In Otherlands, Halliday makes sixteen fossil sites burst to life on the page. This book is an exploration of the Earth as it used to exist, the changes that have occurred during its history, and the ways that life has found to adapt―or not. It takes us from the savannahs of Pliocene Kenya to watch a python chase a group of australopithecines into an acacia tree; to a cliff overlooking the salt pans of the empty basin of what will be the Mediterranean Sea just as water from the Miocene Atlantic Ocean spills in; into the tropical forests of Eocene Antarctica; and under the shallow pools of Ediacaran Australia, where we glimpse the first microbial life. Otherlands also offers us a vast perspective on the current state of the planet. The thought that something as vast as the Great Barrier Reef, for example, with all its vibrant diversity, might one day soon be gone sounds improbable. But the fossil record shows us that this sort of wholesale change not only is possible but has repeatedly happened throughout Earth history. Even as he operates on this broad canvas, Halliday brings us up close to the intricate relationships that defined these lost worlds. In novelistic prose that belies the breadth of his research, he illustrates how ecosystems are formed; how species die out and are replaced; and how species migrate, adapt, and collaborate. It is a breathtaking achievement: a surprisingly emotional narrative about the persistence of life, the fragility of seemingly permanent ecosystems, and the scope of deep time, all of which have something to tell us about our current crisis.

“O” is for Orangeburg Scarp. The Orangeburg Scarp represents the limit of the ocean during the middle Pliocene epoch and can be seen in many places across South Carolina.

Nestled deep in the heart of Canada's Northwest Territories and the McKenzie mountain range, Nahanni Valley has some of the most remarkable landscapes on earth. Mountain peaks so sheer that they protected the valley from the last ice age, raging rivers thousands of feet deep, thousands of miles of ice caves, acres of hot springs, and waterfalls double the height of Niagara. Pair with that a vast history of Dene lore laden with evil spirits, Sasquatch-like creatures, giants, enormous white wolves, and creatures left over from the Pliocene period! And oh yeah! UFO sightings galore! When prospectors start turning up headless, the intrigue really gets dialed up.A STORY NOT ABOUT THE GOLD THEY FOUND, BUT WHAT FOUND THEM!Campfire: Tales of the Strange and Unsettling is created for adult audiences only. The content and discussion in this show will necessarily engage with various accounts that include violence, anxiety, fear, and occasional body horror. Much of it will be emotionally and intellectually challenging to engage with. We will flag especially graphic or intense content so as to never put you in an uninformed or unprepared position. We will do our best to make this a space where we can engage bravely, empathetically, and thoughtfully with difficult content every week. This week's episode includes the following sensitive content:Extreme graphic violenceDecapitationSuicideDrowningStarvationAnimal attacksCannibalism Join the conversation on social media atcampfirepodcastnetwork.com Facebook:facebook.com/campfire.tales.podcastInstagram:instagram.com/campfire.tales.podcastTwitter:twitter.com/campfiretotsauSpecial Thanks:Gregg Martin for music contributions! Go follow him on Instagram at Instagram.com/reverentmusic Elias Armao for graphic design! Go follow him on Instagram at instagram.com/doggedlinedesignsupply 

The third podcast on www.cyclostratigraphy.org is by Rocío Paola Caballero-Gill. She is a cyclostratigrapher who co-founded the GeoLatinas. During this podcast, she talks about her earlier work on Pliocene climate and stratigraphy, about her new paper on being anti-racist in geoscience (Ali et al., 2021), and about CycloAstro and CycloCohort. The Intro music of this podcast is again an excerpt of a piece based on the North Atlantic Oscillation from the "Aphrodite's Dew" book and CD project by Arvid Tomayko and Sandro Montanari. Check out more of their work here.

On this 30th episode of the podcast, I'm honoured to be joined by renowned climate scientist Professor Maureen Raymo. Maureen is Co-Founding Dean of Columbia Climate School, and Director at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University.Here is a sample paragraph from her bio on the Columbia Climate School Leadership page:Prof. Raymo is an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the American Geophysical Union, The Geological Society of America, The Geological Society of London, and The Explorer's Club.  In 2014 she became the first woman to be awarded the Wollaston Medal, The Geological Society of London's most senior medal previously award to Charles Lyell, Louis Agassiz, and Charles Darwin.  She was awarded the Maurice Ewing Medal by the AGU and U. S. Navy “for significant original contributions to the ocean sciences” and the European Geosciences Union, upon recognizing her accomplishments with the Milankovic Medal, wrote, “Maureen E. Raymo's work has given names to critical, foundational ideas: the ‘uplift-weathering hypothesis', the ‘41-thousand-year problem', ‘Pliocene sea level paradox', and ‘the Lisiecki-Raymo δ18O Stack' are all central themes in palaeoceanography that appear in textbooks and have their roots in Raymo's research and intellectual contributions.”  Maureen's work, firmly based on observations and data, has shaped our understanding of Earth's natural climate variability and her many landmark papers have influenced a generation of climate scientists. So you can see why it is such a great honour to have Prof Raymo (or Maureen as she asked me to call her) come on the podcast.We had a fascinating conversation, which although it started out bleak discussing sea-level rise, ended on a very optimistic note, I'm delighted to report.As always, I learned loads (including how to correctly pronounce Pliocene

A temperature rise of three or four degrees doesn’t seem like a big deal… Until you go back a few million years and start exploring what the world looked like the last time the Earth was that hot and CO2 levels were even higher than they are now. Peter Brannen is an award-winning science journalist. His work has appeared in The New York Times, WIRED and The Guardian, among many other national publications. He is also the author of The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions. On this episode of Reversing Climate Change, Peter joins Ross to discuss his most recent article in The Atlantic, ‘The Terrifying Warning Lurking in the Earth’s Ancient Rock Record.’ Peter explains what the planet was like during the Pliocene (the last time CO2 reached 400 PPM), the Miocene (500 PPM) and the Eocene (600-plus PPM), describing how rising levels of carbon dioxide might transform the Earth as we know it. Listen in for Peter’s insight on what an understanding of deep time can teach us about the impact climate change has on the planet and help us appreciate the difference three degrees can make. Connect with Nori Purchase Nori Carbon Removals Join Nori's Patreon book club Nori's website Nori on Twitter Resources Peter’s Website ‘The Terrifying Warning Lurking in the Earth’s Ancient Rock Record’ in The Atlantic The Ends of the World: Volcanic Apocalypses, Lethal Oceans, and Our Quest to Understand Earth’s Past Mass Extinctions by Peter Brannen Peter on Reversing Climate Change EP087 David Grinspoon David Grinspoon on Reversing Climate Change: Geology Cage Match! The Sapiezoic vs. the Anthropocene—w/ Dr. David Grinspoon, astrobiologist David Grinspoon on Reversing Climate Change S1E47: 47: David Grinspoon, Astrobiologist The Long Thaw: How Humans Are Changing the Next 100,000 Years of Earth’s Climate by David Archer Jessica Tierney on Twitter Ted Scripps Fellowship Program ‘Atmospheric CO2: Principal Control Knob Governing Earth’s Temperature’ in Science Wallace Broecker --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/reversingclimatechange/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/reversingclimatechange/support

Paige Dempster deeply rebutted Rachel Teichman this week. The pair explored themes such as extinction, war uniforms, and aquatic life. Join them on their deep-sea adventure! Hosted and produced by Paige Dempster & Rachel TeichmanFB & IG: @ResearchRebuttalPodcastTwitter: @ResearchRebuttAmerican Citrus Counsel: please sponsor us.Sourceshttps://www.sea.museum/2020/01/16/ten-interesting-facts-about-sharkshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pliocene_climatehttps://www.nhm.ac.uk/discover/megalodon--the-truth-about-the-largest-shark-that-ever-lived.htmlhttps://www.sharks-world.com/types_of_sharks/https://www.sharksider.com/lemon-shark/https://sharkwatchsa.com/en/blog/category/482/post/1206/white-shark-teeth-how-many/https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/08/greenland-shark-may-live-400-years-smashing-longevity-recordhttps://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/shark-facts-vs-shark-mythshttps://www.stitchfix.com/men/blog/features/the-history-of-plaidhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Watchhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dress_Act_1746 See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Woolly Mammoths were true elephants, unlike their less robust cousins, the mastodons. Mammoths were bigger — both in girth and height — weighing in at a max of 13 tonnes. They are closely related to Asian elephants and were about the size of the African elephants you see roaming the grasslands of Africa today. Their size offered protection against other predators once the mammoth was full grown. Sadly for the juveniles, they offered tasty prey to big cats like Homotherium who roamed those ancient grasslands alongside them. They roamed widely in the Pliocene to Holocene, roaming much of Africa, Europe, Asia and North America. We see them first some 150,000 years ago from remains in Russia then expanding out from Spain to Alaska. They enjoyed a very long lifespan of 60-80 — up to 20 years longer than a mastodon and longer than modern elephants. They enjoyed the prime position as the Apex predator of the megafauna, then declined — partially because of the environment and food resources and partially because of their co-existence with humans. In places where the fossil record shows a preference for hunting smaller prey, humans and megafauna do better together. We see this in places like the Indian Subcontinent where primates and rodents made the menu more often than the large megafauna who roamed there. We also see this in present-day Africa, where the last of the large and lovely megafauna show remarkable resilience in the face of human co-existence. The woolly mammoths from the Ukrainian-Russian plains died out 15,000 years ago. This population was followed by woolly mammoths from St. Paul Island in Alaska who died out 5,600 years ago — and quite surprisingly, at least to me, the last mammoth died just 4,000 years ago in the frosty ice on the small island of Wrangel in the Arctic Ocean — their final days spent scratching out a dwindling existence of genetic mutations, howling winds, rain-darkened hills and subsistence on tough grasses grown in thin soil. Can we bring them back? Well, maybe. There have been great strides in genetic engineering so my guess is that we one day will.

(image source: https://www.deviantart.com/sanciusart/art/Nuralagus-rex-recon-808748972) Host Matthew Donald and guest co-host Christina Eilert discuss Nuralagus rex, a large relative of rabbits that's maybe overcompensating a bit by having rex as a species name. From the Pliocene epoch, this 3-foot lagomorph lived on a remote island in the Mediterranean where it promptly became an evolutionary dead-end and went extinct as soon as there were any changes to its ecosystem. Lame. Want to further support the show? Sign up to our Patreon for exclusive bonus content here. Also, you can purchase Matthew Donald's dinosaur book "Megazoic" on Amazon by clicking here, its sequel "Megazoic: The Primeval Power" by clicking here, its third installment "Megazoic: The Hunted Ones" by clicking here, or its final installment "Megazoic: An Era's End" by clicking here. 

Today, the Safari is heading to a different kind of zoo...a dead zoo! No, I don't mean a closed zoo...I mean the Gray Fossil Site in Gray, Tennessee. I'm bringing you an interview with Dr. Steven Wallace, a paleontologist and geologist who brings the perspective of time to the conservation efforts that are currently being undertaken all around the world! In this interview you will get to find out about some of the species that used to live in the United States that no longer do...including tapirs, rhinos, and (most importantly to me) red pandas! Get ready for a surprisingly timely message that comes to you from five million years ago! You can check out @grayfossilsite on Insta, Facebook, and Twitter gf.handson.org is their website And as always, don't forget rossifari.com, www.patreon.com/rossifari, rossifari.redbubble.com, and @rossifari on the social medias!

What can studying core samples from over 2.5m years ago tell us about the likely impact of climate change today?Join us as we talk with climate science expert Professor Martin Siegert about his work to investigate what conditions were like on earth during the Pliocene era (5.3 to 2.6 million years ago) - the last time atmospheric carbon emissions were around 400ppm for a prolonged period.  We explore what conditions at that time can tell us about what we might encounter if we don't reduce our current levels of carbon. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

An Alaskan hunter stops at a remote cabin far out on the outskirts of known country and tells our narrator an incredible tale of coming across a bull mammoth that killed his dog and her pups. Knowing that mammoths have been considered extinct for millions of years, our narrator asks the hunter to complete the story, which he does, telling of how he chased the mammoth into a box canyon and used only his brain to outwit and outlast the giant beast.. STORIES BY JACK LONDON JACK LONDON PODCAST NEW Enjoy 1001 Greatest Love Stories on Apple Devices here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-greatest-love-stories/id1485751552 Enjoy 1001 Greatest Love Stories on Android devices here: ​​https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=479022&refid=stpr.  Get all of our shows at one website: www.1001storiespodcast.com TEST YOUR HISTORY SMARTS! CATCH 1001 HISTORY CHALLENGE HERE: (main website all 1001 shows) https://www.1001storiespodcast.com or HERE: at Google Play: https://play.google.com/music/listen?u=0#/ps/Iwdojx2zx4jj2xj25fwupwrdcxq or HERE at Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-history-challenge/id1482436263 CALLING ALL FANS.. REVIEWS NEEDED FOR NEW SHOWS! REVIEWS NEEDED FOR NEW SHOWS! A SECOND NEW SHOW AT 1001- 1001 HISTORY'S BEST STORYTELLERS- OUR INTERVIEWS WITH SOME OF TODAY'S BEST HISTORY AUTHORS ...LINKS BELOW... all shows available at www.1001storiespodcast.com The Apple Podcast Link for 1001 History's Best Storytellers: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-historys-best-storytellers/id1483649026 The Stitcher.com link for 1001 History's Best Storytellers is:: ​​https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=474955&refid=stpr.  SUPPORT OUR SHOW BY BECOMING A PATRON! www.patreon.com/1001storiesnetwork. Its time I started asking for support! Thank you. Its a few dollars a month OR a one time. (Any amount is appreciated). YOUR REVIEWS AND SUBSCRIPTIONS AT APPLE/ITUNES AND ALL ANDROID HOSTS ARE NEEDED AND APPRECIATED! LINKS BELOW... Open these links to enjoy our shows! APPLE USERS Catch 1001 RADIO DAYS now at Apple iTunes!  https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-radio-days/id1405045413?mt=2 Catch 1001 Heroes on any Apple Device here (Free): https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-heroes-legends-histories-mysteries-podcast/id956154836?mt=2  Catch 1001 CLASSIC SHORT STORIES at iTunes/apple Podcast App Now: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-classic-short-stories-tales/id1078098622 Catch 1001 Stories for the Road at iTunes/Apple Podcast now:  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1001-stories-for-the-road/id1227478901

How Antarctica looked in the pliocene age, the sinking of our Capital’s National Mall, and Dutchman Wiebe Wakker completes his 3-year adventure in his converted VW Golf electric vehicle, the Blue Bandit. A story and discussion of the Copper Rule, which governs our decisions all too often.

How Antarctica looked in the pliocene age, the sinking of our Capital’s National Mall, and Dutchman Wiebe Wakker completes his 3-year adventure in his converted VW Golf electric vehicle, the Blue Bandit. A story and discussion of the Copper Rule, which governs our decisions all too often.

Six months ago, the IPCC released the “Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 °C”. In this episode we are discussing the transformations that need to happen, the topic of global justice and policy action. Are we on track? What has happened since its release? Caroline Coch, Climate Science Specialist at RMetS, speaks to Dr Joeri Rogelj, a lecturer at the Grantham Institute for Climate Change and a Senior Research Scholar at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). He gives some important insights into the carbon budget and what transformations need to happen to limit global warming to 1.5 °C. She then speaks to Dr Alix Dietzel, a lecturer in Global Ethics at the University of Bristol. Alix speaks about moral responsibility in taking action against climate change. Dr Jolene Cook from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) gives more details on the process of the IPCC report and how it will be used by policymakers. Finally, Prof. Martin Siegert, co-director of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change explains how climate change in the past can inform us about climate change today. He takes a look back on what happened during the past six months since the report was released. The Society hosted a national meeting in November 2018 discussing the 1.5°C report – from science to policy. The presentation slides and audio recordings of the event can be found here. Sound recordings and presentation slides of the National Meeting “The Pliocene - The Last Time Earth had >400 ppm of Atmospheric CO2” can be found here. The first RMetS Climate Change Forum will take place on the 4th June 2019. Find out more about the events of the Royal Meteorological Society here. The Society's programmes are broad and diverse, with many activities accessible not only to members but also to the general public and the wider meteorological and climate community. For more information on our charitable activities and events visit our website. Thank you for listening! Comments and ideas for future topics are always welcomed so please get in touch at jo.bayliss@rmets.org. Twitter - @rmets Instagram - @rmets_

Luke reviews The Many-Colored Land by Julian May. Get this audiobook for free, or any of 100,000 other titles, as part of a free trial by visiting this link: http://www.audibletrial.com/sfbrp. Buy this book at , or discuss this book at Goodreads.com Luke blogs at: http://www.lukeburrage.com/blog Follow Luke on twitter: http://twitter.com/lukeburrage Luke writes his own novels, […]

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

The story of life concludes with the Cenozoic Era, from the Paleocene to the Pliocene epoch (66 to 2.58 Million Years Ago). We follow the survivors of the great Cretaceous Extinction Event as they adapt to a rapidly changing world, including the mammals. Special topics include the the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, the Rise of the Himalayas, the Spread of the Grasslands, the Crisis of the Mediterranean, and the Great American Interchange. Transcript: https://riverofhistory.tumblr.com/post/183188061451/episode-6-the-age-of-mammalsLinks and References Mentioned:Placentals Didn't Displace North American Marsupials: https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/71489/10/ZORA_NL_71489.pdfHow Neornithine Birds Survived: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.04.062Geology of the Pacific Islands: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2607379/ Evolution of Baleen Whales: https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(18)31414-3

Many mammals cooperate, but most stick to cooperating with relatives. Human beings are different in that we have learned to cooperate with people we don't know. This has made all the difference in our evolution. We're genetically wired for cooperation, but our ability to cooperate is weakening. Some of the essential ingredients we need in order to cooperate are disappearing. Where we used to rely on one another to learn skills and pass on knowledge, we now have Youtube. Where we used to make friends face to face and suffers ups and downs of relationships, we now click from one group of friends to another. Loose connections are replacing deeper connections and as a species, we are becoming isolated from one another. In order for humans to be motivated to cooperate, we need to need one another. With our basic needs being met or institutionalized, we simply don't need one another so much. That is showing itself in lack of volunteerism, people loosing patience, loyalties becoming extinct, and our diminished ability to take on real problems. Whether we're talking politics or local projects, when humans loose our ability (or desire) to cooperate, our effectiveness drops and our problems grow. The Age of Monkey MenI'm not trying to be sexist here. I just like the way "Monkey Men" goes together. I'm referring to our Pliocene ancestors. Once upon a time, some scientists argue, we lived in trees. Trees provided safety from predators. This kept us alive, but in order to get the fruits (literally) of ground living, we would need to learn how to solve the predator problem. We our humanoid ancestors learned how to cooperate, there was virtually nothing we could not do. Those ancestors of ours could take down a mastodon. Out ability to cooperate has served us well ever since.Technology is Replacing Our Need to Need One AnotherMy dad taught me to sweat pipes, put up drywall, and do basic electrical work. I looked forward to teaching my kids these skills. In fact, I filled my head with all kinds of skills I looked forward to passing down. Then came Youtube. The harsh reality is that my kids don't need me to teach them this stuff anymore. 30 minutes with YouTube and they could learn just about anything they want to learn. Our traditions of passing on knowledge from one generation to the next is evolving. I'm not saying the old ways are dead. There are still things - particularly in the way that we behave and the way we love one another - that can't yet be learned from Youtube, but a lot of the old standbys: how to change a tire, how to fix a toilet... it's all a click away. Bonds are WeakeningThe truth is, we still need one another to solve big problems. When your school redraws the district lines or something in your community becomes a hazard, we need to come together. Groups still solve problems better than individuals. I'm not referring to bigger groups being bullies. I'm referring to bigger groups having more intellectual capital, more resources, and more ideas. Maybe more people to click on Youtube videos and learn stuff. The problem is, we're not learning the art of coming together the way we used to before Facebook "likes", Twitter retweets, and other clicking behaviors. If I agreed with you, that could be a big deal. It might require a real sacrifice instead of clicking a forward button or the like switch. It might mean getting messy and being there for you at a time that's awkward or inconvenient. I couldn't simply "unfriend" you if I no longer like your message. Breaking bond - the bond we need in order to cooperate with one another, is becoming very easy. Some Problems are Too Big"Objects in this mirror are closer than they appear." The saying illustrates an optical illusion that happens when we look through a mirror that is angled to show us a wider image that we would normally see with our own eyes. Technology lets us see a ton of things that humans before us could never see. Even through the statistical reality is that violent...

This week we sit down with host of the new podcast Art and Labor, OK Fox (@artandlaborpod @0KF0X), to talk about pretentious private schools, the lasting impact of 1968 on the history of art and protest movements, and the majesty of the Megatherium, the elephant-sized giant sloth of the Pliocene.

Nathan, Mike, and Mahler tackle Neanderthals, the Pliocene epoch, sexual harrassment, breast measurements, body parts, the Green Zone, nuclear attacks, peeping drones, bond007, UrineGate, the Diversary Lottery, transgender troops, the Book of Joshua, Robert E. Lee, Castro, Whitefish, OxyContin, and more.

After some obligatory coverage of the sometimes-funny-sometimes-sad antics of Texas Rep. Randy Weber during this year's "Washington - A Man of Prayer" event, Cory and Scott settle in for an exploration of two major chapters of Ethiopian history: a bit of biological anthropology from the Pliocene and Pleistocene epochs (Lucy!) and the middle of the twentieth century during the reign of Haile Selassie. This is a fascinating individual, and he leads us to the inspiration of a new religion... Rastafarianism! How are the two related, and what does Rastafarianism teach? What is a rasta and what informs their theology? How does this religion fit in with the ones that came before it? Please stay tuned until the end of the episode for a very, very special announcement! (Seriously. We've got exciting news.) Follow Scott: ELDUDEIRENO on Twitter    ELDUDEIRENO on Periscope Follow Cory: Dopinephrine on Twitter    Dopinephrine on Periscope Follow the show: ISM on Twitter    ISM On Periscope A lot of hard work and research goes into the broadcast each week. Please contribute!!

Dating fossils might sound like Saturday night for a paleontologist, but it’s serious science! In a new study, a group of physicists and paleontologists teamed up to re-date one of the most complete skeletons of a human relative ever discovered. The skeleton was discovered in a cave in South Africa twenty years ago, but the […] The post News Bite: Cosmic rays date ancient human ancestor appeared first on Past Time Paleo.

A paleobiologist walks us through the dissection of a 40,000-year-old woolly mammoth, one of the best-preserved carcasses of its kind. The latest in science, culture, and history from Smithsonian Channel.

The Mammalian Era on Urantia (693.1) 61:0.1 THE era of mammals extends from the times of the origin of placental mammals to the end of the ice age, covering a little less than fifty million years. (693.2) 61:0.2 During this Cenozoic age the world’s landscape presented an attractive appearance — rolling hills, broad valleys, wide rivers, and great forests. Twice during this sector of time the Panama Isthmus went up and down; three times the Bering Strait land bridge did the same. The animal types were both many and varied. The trees swarmed with birds, and the whole world was an animal paradise, notwithstanding the incessant struggle of the evolving animal species for supremacy.* (693.3) 61:0.3 The accumulated deposits of the five periods of this fifty-million-year era contain the fossil records of the successive mammalian dynasties and lead right up through the times of the actual appearance of man himself. 1. The New Continental Land Stage The Age of Early Mammals (693.4) 61:1.1 50,000,000 years ago the land areas of the world were very generally above water or only slightly submerged. The formations and deposits of this period are both land and marine, but chiefly land. For a considerable time the land gradually rose but was simultaneously washed down to the lower levels and toward the seas. (693.5) 61:1.2 Early in this period and in North America the placental type of mammals suddenly appeared, and they constituted the most important evolutionary development up to this time. Previous orders of nonplacental mammals had existed, but this new type sprang directly and suddenly from the pre-existent reptilian ancestor whose descendants had persisted on down through the times of dinosaur decline. The father of the placental mammals was a small, highly active, carnivorous, springing type of dinosaur. (693.6) 61:1.3 Basic mammalian instincts began to be manifested in these primitive mammalian types. Mammals possess an immense survival advantage over all other forms of animal life in that they can: (693.7) 61:1.4 1. Bring forth relatively mature and well-developed offspring. (693.8) 61:1.5 2. Nourish, nurture, and protect their offspring with affectionate regard. (693.9) 61:1.6 3. Employ their superior brain power in self-perpetuation. (693.10) 61:1.7 4. Utilize increased agility in escaping from enemies. (693.11) 61:1.8 5. Apply superior intelligence to environmental adjustment and adaptation. (694.1) 61:1.9 45,000,000 years ago the continental backbones were elevated in association with a very general sinking of the coast lines. Mammalian life was evolving rapidly. A small reptilian, egg-laying type of mammal flourished, and the ancestors of the later kangaroos roamed Australia. Soon there were small horses, fleet-footed rhinoceroses, tapirs with proboscises, primitive pigs, squirrels, lemurs, opossums, and several tribes of monkeylike animals. They were all small, primitive, and best suited to living among the forests of the mountain regions. A large ostrichlike land bird developed to a height of ten feet and laid an egg nine by thirteen inches. These were the ancestors of the later gigantic passenger birds that were so highly intelligent, and that onetime transported human beings through the air. (694.2) 61:1.10 The mammals of the early Cenozoic lived on land, under the water, in the air, and among the treetops. They had from one to eleven pairs of mammary glands, and all were covered with considerable hair. In common with the later appearing orders, they developed two successive sets of teeth and possessed large brains in comparison to body size. But among them all no modern forms existed. (694.3) 61:1.11 40,000,000 years ago the land areas of the Northern Hemisphere began to elevate, and this was followed by new extensive land deposits and other terrestrial activities, including lava flows, warping, lake formation, and erosion. (694.4) 61:1.12 During the latter part of this epoch most of Europe was submerged. Following a slight land rise the continent was covered by lakes and bays. The Arctic Ocean, through the Ural depression, ran south to connect with the Mediterranean Sea as it was then expanded northward, the highlands of the Alps, Carpathians, Apennines, and Pyrenees being up above the water as islands of the sea. The Isthmus of Panama was up; the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were separated. North America was connected with Asia by the Bering Strait land bridge and with Europe by way of Greenland and Iceland. The earth circuit of land in northern latitudes was broken only by the Ural Straits, which connected the arctic seas with the enlarged Mediterranean. (694.5) 61:1.13 Considerable foraminiferal limestone was deposited in European waters. Today this same stone is elevated to a height of 10,000 feet in the Alps, 16,000 feet in the Himalayas, and 20,000 feet in Tibet. The chalk deposits of this period are found along the coasts of Africa and Australia, on the west coast of South America, and about the West Indies. (694.6) 61:1.14 Throughout this so-called Eocene period the evolution of mammalian and other related forms of life continued with little or no interruption. North America was then connected by land with every continent except Australia, and the world was gradually overrun by primitive mammalian fauna of various types. 2. The Recent Flood Stage The Age of Advanced Mammals (694.7) 61:2.1 This period was characterized by the further and rapid evolution of placental mammals, the more progressive forms of mammalian life developing during these times. (694.8) 61:2.2 Although the early placental mammals sprang from carnivorous ancestors, very soon herbivorous branches developed, and, erelong, omnivorous mammalian families also sprang up. The angiosperms were the principal food of the rapidly increasing mammals, the modern land flora, including the majority of present-day plants and trees, having appeared during earlier periods. (695.1) 61:2.3 35,000,000 years ago marks the beginning of the age of placental-mammalian world domination. The southern land bridge was extensive, reconnecting the then enormous Antarctic continent with South America, South Africa, and Australia. In spite of the massing of land in high latitudes, the world climate remained relatively mild because of the enormous increase in the size of the tropic seas, nor was the land elevated sufficiently to produce glaciers. Extensive lava flows occurred in Greenland and Iceland, some coal being deposited between these layers. (695.2) 61:2.4 Marked changes were taking place in the fauna of the planet. The sea life was undergoing great modification; most of the present-day orders of marine life were in existence, and foraminifers continued to play an important role. The insect life was much like that of the previous era. The Florissant fossil beds of Colorado belong to the later years of these far-distant times. Most of the living insect families go back to this period, but many then in existence are now extinct, though their fossils remain. (695.3) 61:2.5 On land this was pre-eminently the age of mammalian renovation and expansion. Of the earlier and more primitive mammals, over one hundred species were extinct before this period ended. Even the mammals of large size and small brain soon perished. Brains and agility had replaced armor and size in the progress of animal survival. And with the dinosaur family on the decline, the mammals slowly assumed domination of the earth, speedily and completely destroying the remainder of their reptilian ancestors. (695.4) 61:2.6 Along with the disappearance of the dinosaurs, other and great changes occurred in the various branches of the saurian family. The surviving members of the early reptilian families are turtles, snakes, and crocodiles, together with the venerable frog, the only remaining group representative of man’s earlier ancestors. (695.5) 61:2.7 Various groups of mammals had their origin in a unique animal now extinct. This carnivorous creature was something of a cross between a cat and a seal; it could live on land or in water and was highly intelligent and very active. In Europe the ancestor of the canine family evolved, soon giving rise to many species of small dogs. About the same time the gnawing rodents, including beavers, squirrels, gophers, mice, and rabbits, appeared and soon became a notable form of life, very little change having since occurred in this family. The later deposits of this period contain the fossil remains of dogs, cats, coons, and weasels in ancestral form. (695.6) 61:2.8 30,000,000 years ago the modern types of mammals began to make their appearance. Formerly the mammals had lived for the greater part in the hills, being of the mountainous types; suddenly there began the evolution of the plains or hoofed type, the grazing species, as differentiated from the clawed flesh eaters. These grazers sprang from an undifferentiated ancestor having five toes and forty-four teeth, which perished before the end of the age. Toe evolution did not progress beyond the three-toed stage throughout this period. (695.7) 61:2.9 The horse, an outstanding example of evolution, lived during these times in both North America and Europe, though his development was not fully completed until the later ice age. While the rhinoceros family appeared at the close of this period, it underwent its greatest expansion subsequently. A small hoglike creature also developed which became the ancestor of the many species of swine, peccaries, and hippopotamuses. Camels and llamas had their origin in North America about the middle of this period and overran the western plains. Later, the llamas migrated to South America, the camels to Europe, and soon both were extinct in North America, though a few camels survived up to the ice age. (696.1) 61:2.10 About this time a notable thing occurred in western North America: The early ancestors of the ancient lemurs first made their appearance. While this family cannot be regarded as true lemurs, their coming marked the establishment of the line from which the true lemurs subsequently sprang. (696.2) 61:2.11 Like the land serpents of a previous age which betook themselves to the seas, now a whole tribe of placental mammals deserted the land and took up their residence in the oceans. And they have ever since remained in the sea, yielding the modern whales, dolphins, porpoises, seals, and sea lions. (696.3) 61:2.12 The bird life of the planet continued to develop, but with few important evolutionary changes. The majority of modern birds were existent, including gulls, herons, flamingoes, buzzards, falcons, eagles, owls, quails, and ostriches. (696.4) 61:2.13 By the close of this Oligocene period, covering ten million years, the plant life, together with the marine life and the land animals, had very largely evolved and was present on earth much as today. Considerable specialization has subsequently appeared, but the ancestral forms of most living things were then alive. 3. The Modern Mountain Stage Age of the Elephant and the Horse (696.5) 61:3.1 Land elevation and sea segregation were slowly changing the world’s weather, gradually cooling it, but the climate was still mild. Sequoias and magnolias grew in Greenland, but the subtropical plants were beginning to migrate southward. By the end of this period these warm-climate plants and trees had largely disappeared from the northern latitudes, their places being taken by more hardy plants and the deciduous trees. (696.6) 61:3.2 There was a great increase in the varieties of grasses, and the teeth of many mammalian species gradually altered to conform to the present-day grazing type. (696.7) 61:3.3 25,000,000 years ago there was a slight land submergence following the long epoch of land elevation. The Rocky Mountain region remained highly elevated so that the deposition of erosion material continued throughout the lowlands to the east. The Sierras were well re-elevated; in fact, they have been rising ever since. The great four-mile vertical fault in the California region dates from this time. (696.8) 61:3.4 20,000,000 years ago was indeed the golden age of mammals. The Bering Strait land bridge was up, and many groups of animals migrated to North America from Asia, including the four-tusked mastodons, short-legged rhinoceroses, and many varieties of the cat family.* (696.9) 61:3.5 The first deer appeared, and North America was soon overrun by ruminants — deer, oxen, camels, bison, and several species of rhinoceroses — but the giant pigs, more than six feet tall, became extinct. (697.1) 61:3.6 The huge elephants of this and subsequent periods possessed large brains as well as large bodies, and they soon overran the entire world except Australia. For once the world was dominated by a huge animal with a brain sufficiently large to enable it to carry on. Confronted by the highly intelligent life of these ages, no animal the size of an elephant could have survived unless it had possessed a brain of large size and superior quality. In intelligence and adaptation the elephant is approached only by the horse and is surpassed only by man himself. Even so, of the fifty species of elephants in existence at the opening of this period, only two have survived. (697.2) 61:3.7 15,000,000 years ago the mountain regions of Eurasia were rising, and there was some volcanic activity throughout these regions, but nothing comparable to the lava flows of the Western Hemisphere. These unsettled conditions prevailed all over the world. (697.3) 61:3.8 The Strait of Gibraltar closed, and Spain was connected with Africa by the old land bridge, but the Mediterranean flowed into the Atlantic through a narrow channel which extended across France, the mountain peaks and highlands appearing as islands above this ancient sea. Later on, these European seas began to withdraw. Still later, the Mediterranean was connected with the Indian Ocean, while at the close of this period the Suez region was elevated so that the Mediterranean became, for a time, an inland salt sea. (697.4) 61:3.9 The Iceland land bridge submerged, and the arctic waters commingled with those of the Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic coast of North America rapidly cooled, but the Pacific coast remained warmer than at present. The great ocean currents were in function and affected climate much as they do today. (697.5) 61:3.10 Mammalian life continued to evolve. Enormous herds of horses joined the camels on the western plains of North America; this was truly the age of horses as well as of elephants. The horse’s brain is next in animal quality to that of the elephant, but in one respect it is decidedly inferior, for the horse never fully overcame the deep-seated propensity to flee when frightened. The horse lacks the emotional control of the elephant, while the elephant is greatly handicapped by size and lack of agility. During this period an animal evolved which was somewhat like both the elephant and the horse, but it was soon destroyed by the rapidly increasing cat family. (697.6) 61:3.11 As Urantia is entering the so-called “horseless age,” you should pause and ponder what this animal meant to your ancestors. Men first used horses for food, then for travel, and later in agriculture and war. The horse has long served mankind and has played an important part in the development of human civilization. (697.7) 61:3.12 The biologic developments of this period contributed much toward the setting of the stage for the subsequent appearance of man. In central Asia the true types of both the primitive monkey and the gorilla evolved, having a common ancestor, now extinct. But neither of these species is concerned in the line of living beings which were, later on, to become the ancestors of the human race. (697.8) 61:3.13 The dog family was represented by several groups, notably wolves and foxes; the cat tribe, by panthers and large saber-toothed tigers, the latter first evolving in North America. The modern cat and dog families increased in numbers all over the world. Weasels, martens, otters, and raccoons thrived and developed throughout the northern latitudes.* (698.1) 61:3.14 Birds continued to evolve, though few marked changes occurred. Reptiles were similar to modern types — snakes, crocodiles, and turtles. (698.2) 61:3.15 Thus drew to a close a very eventful and interesting period of the world’s history. This age of the elephant and the horse is known as the Miocene. 4. The Recent Continental-Elevation Stage The Last Great Mammalian Migration (698.3) 61:4.1 This is the period of preglacial land elevation in North America, Europe, and Asia. The land was greatly altered in topography. Mountain ranges were born, streams changed their courses, and isolated volcanoes broke out all over the world. (698.4) 61:4.2 10,000,000 years ago began an age of widespread local land deposits on the lowlands of the continents, but most of these sedimentations were later removed. Much of Europe, at this time, was still under water, including parts of England, Belgium, and France, and the Mediterranean Sea covered much of northern Africa. In North America extensive depositions were made at the mountain bases, in lakes, and in the great land basins. These deposits average only about two hundred feet, are more or less colored, and fossils are rare. Two great fresh-water lakes existed in western North America. The Sierras were elevating; Shasta, Hood, and Rainier were beginning their mountain careers. But it was not until the subsequent ice age that North America began its creep toward the Atlantic depression. (698.5) 61:4.3 For a short time all the land of the world was again joined excepting Australia, and the last great world-wide animal migration took place. North America was connected with both South America and Asia, and there was a free exchange of animal life. Asiatic sloths, armadillos, antelopes, and bears entered North America, while North American camels went to China. Rhinoceroses migrated over the whole world except Australia and South America, but they were extinct in the Western Hemisphere by the close of this period. (698.6) 61:4.4 In general, the life of the preceding period continued to evolve and spread. The cat family dominated the animal life, and marine life was almost at a standstill. Many of the horses were still three-toed, but the modern types were arriving; llamas and giraffelike camels mingled with the horses on the grazing plains. The giraffe appeared in Africa, having just as long a neck then as now. In South America sloths, armadillos, anteaters, and the South American type of primitive monkeys evolved. Before the continents were finally isolated, those massive animals, the mastodons, migrated everywhere except to Australia. (698.7) 61:4.5 5,000,000 years ago the horse evolved as it now is and from North America migrated to all the world. But the horse had become extinct on the continent of its origin long before the red man arrived. (698.8) 61:4.6 The climate was gradually getting cooler; the land plants were slowly moving southward. At first it was the increasing cold in the north that stopped animal migrations over the northern isthmuses; subsequently these North American land bridges went down. Soon afterwards the land connection between Africa and South America finally submerged, and the Western Hemisphere was isolated much as it is today. From this time forward distinct types of life began to develop in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres. (699.1) 61:4.7 And thus does this period of almost ten million years’ duration draw to a close, and not yet has the ancestor of man appeared. This is the time usually designated as the Pliocene. 5. The Early Ice Age (699.2) 61:5.1 By the close of the preceding period the lands of the northeastern part of North America and of northern Europe were highly elevated on an extensive scale, in North America vast areas rising up to 30,000 feet and more. Mild climates had formerly prevailed over these northern regions, and the arctic waters were all open to evaporation, and they continued to be ice-free until almost the close of the glacial period. (699.3) 61:5.2 Simultaneously with these land elevations the ocean currents shifted, and the seasonal winds changed their direction. These conditions eventually produced an almost constant precipitation of moisture from the movement of the heavily saturated atmosphere over the northern highlands. Snow began to fall on these elevated and therefore cool regions, and it continued to fall until it had attained a depth of 20,000 feet. The areas of the greatest depth of snow, together with altitude, determined the central points of subsequent glacial pressure flows. And the ice age persisted just as long as this excessive precipitation continued to cover these northern highlands with this enormous mantle of snow, which soon metamorphosed into solid but creeping ice. (699.4) 61:5.3 The great ice sheets of this period were all located on elevated highlands, not in mountainous regions where they are found today. One half of the glacial ice was in North America, one fourth in Eurasia, and one fourth elsewhere, chiefly in Antarctica. Africa was little affected by the ice, but Australia was almost covered with the antarctic ice blanket. (699.5) 61:5.4 The northern regions of this world have experienced six separate and distinct ice invasions, although there were scores of advances and recessions associated with the activity of each individual ice sheet. The ice in North America collected in two and, later, three centers. Greenland was covered, and Iceland was completely buried beneath the ice flow. In Europe the ice at various times covered the British Isles excepting the coast of southern England, and it overspread western Europe down to France. (699.6) 61:5.5 2,000,000 years ago the first North American glacier started its southern advance. The ice age was now in the making, and this glacier consumed nearly one million years in its advance from, and retreat back toward, the northern pressure centers. The central ice sheet extended south as far as Kansas; the eastern and western ice centers were not then so extensive. (699.7) 61:5.6 1,500,000 years ago the first great glacier was retreating northward. In the meantime, enormous quantities of snow had been falling on Greenland and on the northeastern part of North America, and erelong this eastern ice mass began to flow southward. This was the second invasion of the ice. (699.8) 61:5.7 These first two ice invasions were not extensive in Eurasia. During these early epochs of the ice age North America was overrun with mastodons, woolly mammoths, horses, camels, deer, musk oxen, bison, ground sloths, giant beavers, saber-toothed tigers, sloths as large as elephants, and many groups of the cat and dog families. But from this time forward they were rapidly reduced in numbers by the increasing cold of the glacial period. Toward the close of the ice age the majority of these animal species were extinct in North America. (700.1) 61:5.8 Away from the ice the land and water life of the world was little changed. Between the ice invasions the climate was about as mild as at present, perhaps a little warmer. The glaciers were, after all, local phenomena, though they spread out to cover enormous areas. The coastwise climate varied greatly between the times of glacial inaction and those times when enormous icebergs were sliding off the coast of Maine into the Atlantic, slipping out through Puget Sound into the Pacific, and thundering down Norwegian fiords into the North Sea. 6. Primitive Man in the Ice Age (700.2) 61:6.1 The great event of this glacial period was the evolution of primitive man. Slightly to the west of India, on land now under water and among the offspring of Asiatic migrants of the older North American lemur types, the dawn mammals suddenly appeared. These small animals walked mostly on their hind legs, and they possessed large brains in proportion to their size and in comparison with the brains of other animals. In the seventieth generation of this order of life a new and higher group of animals suddenly differentiated. These new mid-mammals — almost twice the size and height of their ancestors and possessing proportionately increased brain power — had only well established themselves when the Primates, the third vital mutation, suddenly appeared. (At this same time, a retrograde development within the mid-mammal stock gave origin to the simian ancestry; and from that day to this the human branch has gone forward by progressive evolution, while the simian tribes have remained stationary or have actually retrogressed.) (700.3) 61:6.2 1,000,000 years ago Urantia was registered as an inhabited world. A mutation within the stock of the progressing Primates suddenly produced two primitive human beings, the actual ancestors of mankind. (700.4) 61:6.3 This event occurred at about the time of the beginning of the third glacial advance; thus it may be seen that your early ancestors were born and bred in a stimulating, invigorating, and difficult environment. And the sole survivors of these Urantia aborigines, the Eskimos, even now prefer to dwell in frigid northern climes. (700.5) 61:6.4 Human beings were not present in the Western Hemisphere until near the close of the ice age. But during the interglacial epochs they passed westward around the Mediterranean and soon overran the continent of Europe. In the caves of western Europe may be found human bones mingled with the remains of both tropic and arctic animals, testifying that man lived in these regions throughout the later epochs of the advancing and retreating glaciers. 7. The Continuing Ice Age (700.6) 61:7.1 Throughout the glacial period other activities were in progress, but the action of the ice overshadows all other phenomena in the northern latitudes. No other terrestrial activity leaves such characteristic evidence on the topography. The distinctive boulders and surface cleavages, such as potholes, lakes, displaced stone, and rock flour, are to be found in connection with no other phenomenon in nature. The ice is also responsible for those gentle swells, or surface undulations, known as drumlins. And a glacier, as it advances, displaces rivers and changes the whole face of the earth. Glaciers alone leave behind them those telltale drifts — the ground, lateral, and terminal moraines. These drifts, particularly the ground moraines, extend from the eastern seaboard north and westward in North America and are found in Europe and Siberia. (701.1) 61:7.2 750,000 years ago the fourth ice sheet, a union of the North American central and eastern ice fields, was well on its way south; at its height it reached to southern Illinois, displacing the Mississippi River fifty miles to the west, and in the east it extended as far south as the Ohio River and central Pennsylvania. (701.2) 61:7.3 In Asia the Siberian ice sheet made its southernmost invasion, while in Europe the advancing ice stopped just short of the mountain barrier of the Alps. (701.3) 61:7.4 500,000 years ago, during the fifth advance of the ice, a new development accelerated the course of human evolution. Suddenly and in one generation the six colored races mutated from the aboriginal human stock. This is a doubly important date since it also marks the arrival of the Planetary Prince. (701.4) 61:7.5 In North America the advancing fifth glacier consisted of a combined invasion by all three ice centers. The eastern lobe, however, extended only a short distance below the St. Lawrence valley, and the western ice sheet made little southern advance. But the central lobe reached south to cover most of the State of Iowa. In Europe this invasion of the ice was not so extensive as the preceding one. (701.5) 61:7.6 250,000 years ago the sixth and last glaciation began. And despite the fact that the northern highlands had begun to sink slightly, this was the period of greatest snow deposition on the northern ice fields. (701.6) 61:7.7 In this invasion the three great ice sheets coalesced into one vast ice mass, and all of the western mountains participated in this glacial activity. This was the largest of all ice invasions in North America; the ice moved south over fifteen hundred miles from its pressure centers, and North America experienced its lowest temperatures. (701.7) 61:7.8 200,000 years ago, during the advance of the last glacier, there occurred an episode which had much to do with the march of events on Urantia — the Lucifer rebellion. (701.8) 61:7.9 150,000 years ago the sixth and last glacier reached its farthest points of southern extension, the western ice sheet crossing just over the Canadian border; the central coming down into Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois; the eastern sheet advancing south and covering the greater portion of Pennsylvania and Ohio. (701.9) 61:7.10 This is the glacier that sent forth the many tongues, or ice lobes, which carved out the present-day lakes, great and small. During its retreat the North American system of Great Lakes was produced. And Urantian geologists have very accurately deduced the various stages of this development and have correctly surmised that these bodies of water did, at different times, empty first into the Mississippi valley, then eastward into the Hudson valley, and finally by a northern route into the St. Lawrence. It is thirty-seven thousand years since the connected Great Lakes system began to empty out over the present Niagara route. (702.1) 61:7.11 100,000 years ago, during the retreat of the last glacier, the vast polar ice sheets began to form, and the center of ice accumulation moved considerably northward. And as long as the polar regions continue to be covered with ice, it is hardly possible for another glacial age to occur, regardless of future land elevations or modification of ocean currents. (702.2) 61:7.12 This last glacier was one hundred thousand years advancing, and it required a like span of time to complete its northern retreat. The temperate regions have been free from the ice for a little over fifty thousand years. (702.3) 61:7.13 The rigorous glacial period destroyed many species and radically changed numerous others. Many were sorely sifted by the to-and-fro migration which was made necessary by the advancing and retreating ice. Those animals which followed the glaciers back and forth over the land were the bear, bison, reindeer, musk ox, mammoth, and mastodon. (702.4) 61:7.14 The mammoth sought the open prairies, but the mastodon preferred the sheltered fringes of the forest regions. The mammoth, until a late date, ranged from Mexico to Canada; the Siberian variety became wool covered. The mastodon persisted in North America until exterminated by the red man much as the white man later killed off the bison. (702.5) 61:7.15 In North America, during the last glaciation, the horse, tapir, llama, and saber-toothed tiger became extinct. In their places sloths, armadillos, and water hogs came up from South America. (702.6) 61:7.16 The enforced migration of life before the advancing ice led to an extraordinary commingling of plants and of animals, and with the retreat of the final ice invasion, many arctic species of both plants and animals were left stranded high upon certain mountain peaks, whither they had journeyed to escape destruction by the glacier. And so, today, these dislocated plants and animals may be found high up on the Alps of Europe and even on the Appalachian Mountains of North America. (702.7) 61:7.17 The ice age is the last completed geologic period, the so-called Pleistocene, over two million years in length. (702.8) 61:7.18 35,000 years ago marks the termination of the great ice age excepting in the polar regions of the planet. This date is also significant in that it approximates the arrival of a Material Son and Daughter and the beginning of the Adamic dispensation, roughly corresponding to the beginning of the Holocene or postglacial period.* (702.9) 61:7.19 This narrative, extending from the rise of mammalian life to the retreat of the ice and on down to historic times, covers a span of almost fifty million years. This is the last — the current — geologic period and is known to your researchers as the Cenozoic or recent-times era. (702.10) 61:7.20 [Sponsored by a Resident Life Carrier.]

Remote sensing has become an essential tool to improve data collection and spatial analysis in the geosciences. Identification of passive margin structures that are exposed along the Egyptian coast of the Red Sea, and their control on landforms has been hampered by limited data resolution and restricted access to this arid and inaccessible region. A major challenge lies in distinguishing features in the landscape that formed due to long-term tectonic activity and erosion from those features that modified the landscape recently. The goals of this thesis were to determine to what degree the study area is currently tectonically active, and what major hazards might affect the touristically developing coastal region. This study deals with the structural and geomorphological evolution of the rift-related structures and their impact on the sediment distribution and landforms variation in the northern Quseir area. In such a remote desert area, field and remote morphostructural analysis are needed to understand the structural and geomorphological evolution. The current study is mainly based on high-resolution QuickBird image analysis and field investigation. Field mapping was limited to one season, owing to acute safety concerns in the Eastern Desert. In the study area, the pre-rift stratigraphy includes Pan-African basement rocks overlain by pre-rift clastic and carbonate successions that range in age from Cambrian to Eocene. Syn-rift clastic and carbonate rocks range in age from Late Oligocene to recent and show depositional patterns controlled by fault systems. The field area exposes a section of a tectonically uplifted, amagmatic sedimentary sequence, which formed due to passive-margin-related rifting of the Red Sea: the Mesozoic and Tertiary sedimentary units that fill the 7-km wide coastal strip are perfectly exposed as tilted fault blocks. The results of my field mapping and structural analysis show that the fault architecture of the area is dominated by a large NW-SE-striking fault system. A series of SE-dipping normal faults are consistent in cross-section with listric fault geometry, rooting into an E-dipping detachment at depth. Our mapping also revealed that left-steps in at least one of the major NS- striking faults are accommodated by a flower structure, but not by SW-NE-oriented cross faults as previously proposed in a neighboring area. Thus seismic activity is more likely to occur on the large NW-striking normal faults, leading to potentially larger Magnitude earthquakes than previously recognized in the area. The left-step may act as a barrier to rupture propagation and should be examined in more detail. The northwestern Red Sea coast is part of the straight coastal segment that is generally characterized as seismically inactive. However, during the geological field mapping, I found evidence for Plio-/Pleistocene vertical coastal uplift, likely due to earthquake-related coastal and offshore faulting. Pliocene marine deposits emerged recently due to sea level-drop and earthquake-related uplift. Even the presence of up to five distinct Pleistocene coral terraces implies that at least some of the coastal uplift was seismogenic, because terraces of the same age can be found at different elevations along strike. Presumably, some of the seawarddipping, N-S-striking normal faults are active today, despite the lack of recent instrumental seismicity. These findings imply long recurrence intervals for active faults in the northern Quseir area. These results differ from previously published results for the adjacent Quseir-Um Gheig sub-basin area, were E-W-striking strike-slip faults were mapped to offset the N-Sstriking faults, and had been inferred as earthquake-generating faults by Abd El-Wahed et al. (2010). Based on our mapping, we postulate that the large rift-parallel normal faults are seismogenic. Drainage network evolution within the study area is often structurally controlled and the nature of these controls was examined in this study. The Wadi Siatin stream channel network is classified in a relatively simple way, based on the high-resolution satellite data, with dendritic, and rectangular considered the most fundamental channel geometries. It was possible to distinguish the different morphological elements of the network, as well as the anomalies that affect the patterns. This analysis revealed, in the northern Red Sea area basins, the existence of old structures whose successive reactivations have left their mark on the drainage network. Comparison of joint systems direction with the directions of the main trunk stream channel of Wadi Siatin shows that the channel is highly affected by tectonic jointing. First-order channels follow easily erodable faults. Investigations concerning the relationship of stream-flow orientation with geological structure in the Wadi Siatin Basin shows that, generally, the least influenced flows are those of first-order which are governed simply by the valley side slopes on which they developed. However, in certain geological and geomorphological situations, there are clear exceptions to this generalization. Certainly, locally, geological control of these small streams may be even higher than in many streams of higher order. In the peripheral parts of the Basin, expansion of drainage into the available space has obviously been easiest along lines of weakness and, as a consequence of this, streams of the first order come to exhibit a high degree of adjustment to the underlying structure. The maximum structural control is reached by the streams of the third order. Towards the higher orders, the influence of local structure becomes weaker.

00:00:00 - Old friend of the show Brian Switek returns with a ton of paleo to be talked about. Things begin with a new study of the bones of the Pliocene aquatic sloth, which turn out to have pachyosteosclerosis! Don't worry, we explain what that means and why it matters. (Hint: think marine iguana.)   00:22:04 - Sloths entered the drink, and so do we. Brian enjoys his own homemade apple cider. Patrick's drink isn't homemade, but it is local in the form of some Bowman Brothers Virginia Bourbon. Whereas Ryan sups from faraway lands, enjoying some illicit Cuban beers, Cristal and Bucanero Fuerte.   00:28:31 - And speaking of things from faraway lands, this week's trailer covers, in quite some depth, everything going on both science and not in the preview of the hotly anticipated Godzilla remake!   00:46:26 - To the shock of basically nobody, Ryan is upset about the headlines for a newly described dinosaur, but Switek is here to calm him down. Turns out, this new oviraptor from the Hell Creek Formation is notable for reasons besides a catchy headline.   01:08:03 - PaleoPOWs are a lot like headlines, you rarely get what you feel you were promised. Brian begins by telling us a bit about his latest book, My Beloved Brontosaurus, which you should totally get. Then we tackle a question from Abigail A. about taking a vacation to help out the science of paleontology. We suggest getting good with your local museum, and using a bit of Google Fu to find the right spot for you. Patrick rounds things out by thanking Wade W. for setting up a recurring donation. Thanks, Wade! And don't forget to check out Ryan in his role as member of the Animation Brain Trust over on iFanboy.     Thanks for listening and be sure to check out the Brachiolope Media Network for more great science podcasts!     Music for this week's show: Your Bones - Of Monsters and Men I Am a Cider Drinker - The Wurzels Godzilla - Blue Oyster Cult Over the Eggshells - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

Lunch Hour Lectures - Spring 2014 Dr Chris Brierley, UCL Geography In Spring last year, carbon dioxide concentrations passed 400 parts per million in the atmosphere -- a level not seen since the Pliocene era (3-5 million years ago), and perhaps not even then. We know that the Pliocene was a warm world without glacial cycles, and that the climate of the tropical Pacific was also structurally different. This lecture discussed the causes and implications of this discrepancy. You can also watch this lecture on the UCLLHL YouTube channel at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lft4OHt0-gE

A huge pool of warm water that spanned the Tropics four million years ago suggests climate models might be too conservative in forecasting tropical changes. Dr Chris Brierley (UCL Geography), a co-author of the paper published in Nature, explains that this giant mass of water would have dramatically altered rainfall in the tropics. Its decay and the consequential drying of East Africa may have been a factor in Hominid evolution. With green house gases accelerating climate change, Dr Brierley says we cannot rule out such a future for the world with the return of uniformly warm seas in the Tropics. Further info: Read the paper here - http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nature12003 http://www.geog.ucl.ac.uk/about-the-department/people/academics/academic-staff/chris-brierley http://www.nature.com UCL is consistently ranked as one of the world's top universities. Across all disciplines our faculties are known for their research-intensive approaches, academic excellence and engagement with global challenges. This is the basis of our world-renowned degree programmes. Visit us at ucl.ac.uk.

07/20/2012 - Dr. Sasha Lessinhttp://archive.org/download/ProjectCamelot/RevRad-Dr-Sasha-Lessin-07-20-2012.mp3GUEST BIO:Sasha Lessin Ph.D (U.C.L.A. anthropology Ph.D.) studied with the late Zecharia Sitchin,  for many years, asked Lessin to create college-level courses to revise ancient anthropology and include written, graphic and traditional stories of ETs, hithertofore considered mythic “gods” on Earth from 450,000 years ago to 300 B.C. as well as the latest findings in astronomy that relate to the planet Nibiru from which the ETs came to Earth for gold to shield their planet, Nibiru.Sasha writes “In anthropology in the ‘60s, my teachers attributed all human development to gradual evolution. A Miocene or Pliocene anthropoid ape that evolved from simpler primates slowly, in turn, evolved over millions of years into us [Clark, D., W., 1959, History of the Primates:178]. We multiplied as we planted food, created cities and developed ever-more effective technologies. Yet, in terms of biological evolution, we lacked linking intermediate skeletons of primates from which the teachers thought we evolved and modern finding indicate several contemporaneous advanced hominids co-existed with Homo Erectus, and may have been the product of human settlement on Earth long before Enki and crew colonized Earth, some 400,000 years ago.Read more »

This dissertation addresses the biogeographic history of the Araceae family and of one of its largest genera, Alocasia. With >3300 species, Araceae are among the largest families of flowering plants. It is the monocot lineage with the deepest fossil record, reaching back to the Early Cretaceous. Araceae are distributed worldwide, but >3100 species occur in the tropical regions of the Americas, Asia, Africa, and Australia; most fossils from the Late Cretaceous and many younger ones come from the temperate zone in the northern hemisphere, implying much extinction and range expansion. Most subfamilies are pantropically distributed, and almost all genera are restricted to one continent. Alocasia comprises 113 species, many as yet undescribed, making it the 7 th -largest genus of the Araceae. Many species are ornamentals, and two species are of interest for man, either for food (giant taro) or in local cultures (Chinese taro). The origin of these species was not known. Alocasia is distributed in Southeast Asia from India to Australia, with species occurring on all islands of the Malay Archipelago. This region has a complex geologic history shaped by the collision of the Eurasian, the Pacific, and the Indo-Australian plate. The Malesian flora and fauna comprises Laurasian and Gondwanan elements, reflecting the influence of changing sea levels, uplift and submergence of islands, and other tectonic movement. In this thesis, I used molecular phylogenetics, Bayesian divergence dating, ancestral area reconstruction to understand the past distribution of the Araceae family and the Alocasia clade in the context of past continent movements and climate history. For the family analysis, existing chloroplast DNA matrices were augmented so that all Araceae genera were represented by one or more species, with a focus on covering geographic disjunctions, especially between continents. Divergence dating relied on seven confidently assigned fossil constraints, comparing uniform and gamma-shaped prior distributions on fossil ages, as well as several molecular clock models. Biogeographic analyses were performed in a model-based likelihood framework that took into account past dispersal routes based on continent connectivity and climate. I also integrated fossils into the ancestral area reconstruction, either simulating extinct or still existing ranges, and then compared results to those obtained from analyses without fossils. To study the morphology and ecology of Alocasia, fieldwork was conducted in Malaysia and herbarium work in Germany, the Netherlands, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Maximum likelihood phylogenies were inferred based on chloroplast and nuclear loci, sequenced for 71 species of Alocasia plus 25 outgroup species from 16 genera. Bayesian divergence dating of the nuclear phylogeny relied on one fossil constraint and ancestral areas were reconstructed using parsimony- and likelihood-based methods. The Araceae diverged from the remaining Alismatales in the Early Cretaceous (ca. 135 Ma ago), and all eight subfamilies originated before the Cenozoic. The earliest lineages are inferred to have occurred in Laurasia (based on fossils and tree topology), and most lineages reached Africa, South America, Southeast Asia, and Australia during the Paleogene and Neogene. Many clades experienced extinction in the temperate regions of the northern hemisphere during the Oligocene climate cooling. Two continentally disjunct genera (Nephthytis and Philodendron) are polyphyletic and need taxonomic rearrangement. Plastid substitution rates are exceptionally high in free-floating and water-associated Araceae. Ancestral area reconstructions obtained when fossil (no longer occupied) ranges where included in the analyses were more plausible than those without fossil ranges. This is not a trivial result because only in a quantitative (computer-based) analysis is it possible for fossil ranges to influence results (here areas) at distant nodes in the phylogenetic tree. The nuclear and plastid phylogenies of Alocasia revealed the polyphyly of the two genera Alocasia and Colocasia; to achieve monophyly, two species (Alocasia hypnosa and Colocasia gigantea) have to be moved to other genera. There were strong incongruencies between phylogenies from the two partitions: The chloroplast data reflect geographical proximity, the nuclear morphological similarity. This may indicate hybridization events followed by chloroplast capture. Based on the nuclear tree, Alocasia split from its sister group by the end of the Oligocene (ca. 24 Ma) and colonized the Malay Archipelago from the Asian mainland. Borneo played a central role, with 11–13 of 18–19 inferred dispersal events originating there. The Philippines were reached from Borneo 4–5 times in the late Miocene and early Pliocene, and the Asian mainland 6–7 times during the Pliocene. The geographic origin of two domesticated species could be resolved: Giant taro originated on the Philippines and Chinese taro on the Asian mainland.

Ice on earth is sensitive to climate change and ice plays a role in climate change processes. Recent trends in the Greenland ice sheet provide an important example. Over the past two decades the extent of surface melt water on the ice sheet has increased. Inaddition, satellites have detected a decrease in the overall mass of the Greenland Ice Sheet. Paleoclimate is also discussed in this lecture, with a focus on climate over the last 5 million years. The mid-Pliocene was a particularly warm period from 3.3-3 million years before present. The Pleistocene was a more recent cold period ending with the Last Glacial Maximum about 14,000 years before present. In comparison, the Holocene (12,000 years ago to present) has been a relatively warm stable climatic period. Geomorphology is used to determine the extent of continental ice in the past. Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://oyc.yale.edu This course was recorded in Fall 2011.

Philippe WEBER, Institut de géologie et paléontologie

Philippe WEBER, Institut de géologie et paléontologie

The Antarctic Peninsula forms part of a magmatic arc at least since Jurassic times. Magmatic dykes are essential elements of such arcs and intrude along zones of instability. In contrast to other hypabyssal intrusions and the effusive products of arc activity, dykes do not only reflect the geochemical characteristics of their magma source but also the tectonic parameters at the time of their emplacement. The South Shetland Islands form an archipelago located at the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula and belong to this arc. Areas of up to 100,000 m2 have been mapped at several locations of these islands, mainly on King George and Livingston Island. A structural analysis of the dykes and the host rocks was carried out, and about 250 dykes were sampled for further studies. As deduced from field relationships, on Livingston Island six different intrusive events could be distinguished, on King George Island up to seven. This subdivision into different intrusive events is also well reflected by the geochemical data. Analysis of the structural data of the dykes and their host rocks shows, that the tectonic stress field was not only very similar throughout the archipelago, but that moreover only minor changes of this stress field occurred during the time of dyke emplacement. This holds for all investigated areas in the South Shetland Islands. The geochemical data (ICP-MS) reveal, that most dykes of the South Shetland Islands belong to a calc-alkaline, arc-related suite, ranging from basalts to highly differentiated rhyolites. However, especially during early stages of intrusive activity in the respective areas, also tholeiites occur. Isotopic data (Sr, Nd, Pb) prove a strong crustal component during initial stages of magmatic activity, especially on Hurd Peninsula (Livingston Island). This crustal component decreased with time, accompanied by an increase of sedimentary input into the subduction zone. The high amount of crustal contamination during the initial stages was probably due to a still unstretched continental crust. Besides the continental crust underlying the South Shetland Islands, partial melts from the subducted sediments, fluids derived from the subducting plate and a depleted, heterogeneous mantle wedge contributed to arc magma genesis. According to Ar-Ar datings on plagioclase separates and K-Ar (WR) age determinations, dyke intrusion was restricted to the Paleocene and Eocene. The dykes started to intrude around the Cretaceous/Paleogene boundary at Livingston Island. Only around the Thanetian/Ypresian boundary, dyke intrusion commenced also further NE at Nelson and King George Island, culminating during the Lutetian at 47-45 Ma in all investigated areas. Dyke intrusion then ceased in the latter areas but still continued at Livingston Island until the Priabonian. Combining the information given by the tectonic and geochemical datasets, the time interval covered by the dykes obviously marks a period of geodynamic stability. This includes a stable geometry of the subduction zone and the corresponding parameters (subduction direction and velocity) during that time, as well as stable magma sources. The contribution of the respective sources (sediments, slab, mantle, crust) varied, but the sources themselves remained the same. Very primitive, olivine tholeiitic dykes sampled on Penguin Island as a by-product of this work yielded an unexpectedly high Ar-Ar age (Tortonian), thus questioning the onset of rifting in Bransfield Strait during the Pliocene, as believed so far.