Table of contents for Issue 12 in NatureVolve

For more than 100 years paleobotanists have recognized a relationship between the leaves of woody dicot angiosperms and the climate the plants live in: leaves tend to be larger in wetter environments and there are more species with toothed leaves in colder environments. These patterns can be used to reconstruct paleoclimate and paleoenvironment using the size and shape of fossil leaves. By collecting and measuring hundreds of leaves from across Rusinga Island, Kenya, we were able to reconstruct how the paleoenvironment shifted from tropical rainforest to woodland back to tropical seasonal forest with changes in precipitation during the early Miocene. About Aly Baumgartner, PhD, is a paleobotanist interested in the relationship between plants and the environments they live in. She studies this using both modern and fossil plants. Aly works…

Figuring out what dinosaurs looked like is a challenge for paleontologists. The tissues that typically fossilize are the hard ones like bones and teeth. But much of what an animal looks like relates to softer tissues like skin, fat, and feathers. So, reconstructing dinosaurs requires a close look at the fossil evidence, knowledge about similar modern animals, and creativity. In the making of Jurassic Park and Jurassic World, Steven Spielberg looked to paleontologist Jack Horner. Jack found his first dinosaur bone as an eight-year-old kid growing up in Montana. Later, while a fossil technician at Princeton University, Jack discovered the first ever nest of dinosaur eggs with babies inside – from Troodon – which led him to a vast nesting colony at a site later dubbed Egg Mountain. The nests…

As a way of bridging the gap between science and art, the BioArt study abroad course at Arizona State University (ASU) was established by Dr. Becky Ball and Prof Richard Lerman, to expose students to projects they might not have taken up on their own. Throughout the course, art and science students collaborated on research and science-inspired art in their own Sonoran desert at ASU before traveling to the Arctic. The experience of working alongside those with a very different educational background allowed students to break down previously held stereotypes about other, different fields of study. As assessed by Clinical Professor Dr. Susannah Sandrin, students not only gained a host of practical skills and knowledge by the end of the course, they also gained an appreciation and deeper understanding of…

The Earth’s climate is changing, and fast. We have droughts in Europe, catastrophic wildfires in the United States, and glaciers are receding worldwide. But, how do we predict what future conditions will be like, and how people will respond to them? The soil beneath our feet holds vital clues. Dr. Diana Jordanova, a geophysicist with the National Institute of Geophysics, Geodesy and Geography at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, explains how she and her colleagues can use the magnetic properties of ancient soils (paleosols) to determine past climates. They can then sync this data with archaeological findings to see how people behaved during different climate periods. This information, in turn, can give us a better idea of what the future holds. Continue reading to learn more about how ancient soils…

Ostracods are a class of microfossil from the subphylum crustacean. The name originates from the Greek ‘Ostrakon’ which translates to ‘shell’ and refers to their appearance which is bivalved meaning the carapace (shell) is made up of two components joined by a hinge. The small, calcified carapace preserves well within the fossil record making them excellent indicators for paleobiological studies. While ostracods are known in the fossil record they can also be found alive today. They can be analyzed to help understand long-term impacts that humans have had on ecosystems as they can be studied both before and after the appearance of mankind. A temporal comparison can be made to identify ecosystem changes and the main environmental drivers. Here, we discuss such a study looking at Hong Kong, where the…

The fascination and love for dinosaurs – ancient reptiles of the past and likely ancestors of modern birds – have been present throughout generations. Though the paleontologist’s complex job of uncovering and interpreting fossils should never be overlooked, it is the task of scientific illustrators to really bring the worlds of the past back for us. These talented artists erect imagery based on the supporting foundation of scientific discoveries. Andy Frazer (AKA “Dragon of Wales”), a prominent artist and illustrator, combines inspiration drawn from rugged nature of his Welsh homeland and modern scientific data to build up on this legacy and create bright, memorable creatures of the deep past. In the present interview, he discusses his work in greater detail. Q & A: Andy Frazer How has being based in…

Studying for school exams, such as A-levels in the UK, has tended to be isolating and demoralizing for many. That was until Arian Mirzarafie Ahi, the Founder and Director of The A Level Biologist came along to help. The aim of his project, The A Level Biologist, is to create exam-focused Biology Lessons, tailored to the exam board being studied while allowing students to gain and in-depth understanding of biology. Arian originally started his site over a decade ago, while he was still studying his A-Levels. Arian went on to graduate in Biological Sciences at university, and has since trained to become a teacher, all while continuing to keep The A Level Biologist current and up to date with the latest exam boards, ensuring the students using the website get…

In the last decade, multiple human fossils have been found by archaeologists. Many of them belong to the genus Homo, and therefore are distantly related to modern humans. Certain new discoveries show that the road to humanity was far more complex than previously thought. Researchers have found it difficult to place each new finding on the proverbial evolution tree – do some bones belong to a new species or a subspecies? How are they related to other fossils? Dr. Miguel Caparros, a researcher affiliated with Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris, France, has long worked in the field of human evolution. His studies devoted to Neanderthal findings in Zafarraya, Southern Spain, have shown him that relationships between various ancient hominins – extinct human species - were complex and he finds…

Varroa destructor is a honeybee parasite native to Asia, which has managed to infest introduced colonies of Western honeybees (Apis mellifera), and to spread globally during the past decades. The parasite is a major Western honeybee killer, notably because it vectors deadly viruses. To protect their colonies against this pest, most beekeepers use acaricide treatments. However, some populations of Western honeybees have now adapted by means of natural or artificial selection and can survive without the help of beekeepers. However, the honeybee adaptations also provoke changes in the mites, as a result of a process called co-evolution. Ultimately, mites may become adapted to Western honeybees and become less lethal. About Alexis Beaurepaire is an evolutionary biologist working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Institute of Bee health (University of Bern,…

Growing up, Cella Siegelman loved prehistoric animals, yet they seemed to only be marketed as monster-like creatures for boys. As a creator, she wanted to show the accuracy of modern dinosaur & prehistoric discoveries through cute and whimsical creations. Cella tries to include all types of prehistoric animals in her work, yet, she has a few main characters that she likes to draw, like dinosaurs mixed with fruit, and sea creatures mixed with sweets. Artwork This piece features a multitude of prehistoric sea creatures, mixed with sweets! The Basilosaurus Eclair, Sugar Cookie Dunkleosteus, Banana Split Plesiosaur, and Key Lime Liopleurodon were the original designs. I recently added more characters, like the icecream sandwich Archelon. I wanted to depict the animals more accurately through their range of sizes and anatomy, aside…