World”s most ancient frogs face extinction

May 21, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Washington, May 20 (ANI): The New Zealand government”s plans to throw open a conservation area to mining may result in the extinction of the world”s most ancient frogs.

The primitive Archey”s frog (Leiopelma archeyi) and Hochstetter”s frog (Leiopelma hochstetteri) are two of the species that inhabit the area of ”high conservation value” on New Zealand”s North Island where the mining is planned to take place.

Archey”s frog is currently ranked top of the Zoological Society of London”s (ZSL) EDGE of Existence amphibian list, making it the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered amphibian on the planet.

Described as a “living fossil”, Archey”s frog is almost indistinguishable from the fossilised remains of frogs that walked amongst the dinosaurs 150 million years ago.

Helen Meredith, EDGE of Existence amphibian conservation projects coordinator at ZSL, said: “In the year when reducing biodiversity loss is high on the political agenda, it is inconceivable to think that we”d put the nail in the coffin of some of our rarest and most extraordinary frog species

“We will be faced with these kinds of decisions again and again in the future. Now is the time to start recognising the long-term value of our natural world over any short-term economic gains.”

Frog populations have been intensively monitored for over 40 years, representing the best data set on frog populations in the world. The proposed mining will cut through the heart of these monitoring sites.

Dr Phil Bishop, leader of the University of Otago”s frog research said: “Only four species of frog survive in New Zealand, and this proposed mining activity could cause the extinction of one of New Zealand”s native amphibians, and a severe decline in another – a devastating blow to global amphibian conservation.”

Seven thousand hectares of land in the West Coast”s Paparoa National Park, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula has been proposed to be considered for mining of coal, gold, iron ore and other rare minerals.

The North Island brown kiwi, long-tailed bats, striped geckos and Helm”s butterfly are some of the other rare and endangered species found in these protected areas.

The New Zealand government is now holding a public consultation on whether the conservation status of the area should be downgraded to allow mining to take place. (ANI)

Filed Under: International News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Organic material in ‘dino mummy’ to give clues about its evolution

July 2, 2009 By Leave a Comment

London, July 2 (ANI): A mummified dinosaur unearthed in North Dakota, US, may contain traces of 66-million-year old organic material, which could provide vital information about its evolution.

The well-preserved fossil of the plant-eating hadrosaur, complete with skin and tendons, was discovered in 1999.

Named “Dakota”, it was a rare find as bacteria in the soil usually break down soft tissue quickly.

However, the rapid burial of Dakota in a waterlogged, low-oxygen environment allowed fossilisation to outpace the normal processes of microbial decay, preserving areas of soft tissue.

According to a report in New Scientist, Phil Manning and Roy Wogelius at the University of Manchester, UK, used electron microscopy and X-ray imaging to study Dakota’s fossilised skin, as well as a claw and a tendon.

They found cell-like structures comparable to those of living vertebrates.

Further analysis of the skin and claw revealed the presence of amino acids – the building blocks of proteins – suggesting that the cell-like structures were indeed cells and that organic material may have been preserved.

Manning said that the presence of amino acids, rather than whole proteins, is a good sign.

After 66 million years, proteins in soft tissue should have broken down into amino acids, so finding large proteins would likely be a sign of contamination.

The high concentrations of amino acids in the fossil, compared with only traces found in the surrounding sediment, support the idea that they came from the fossil.

The researchers hope that further analysis will confirm the presence of organic material and provide fundamental information about the evolution of this species and its descendants. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

CT scanning performed on prehistoric turtle to find skull, eggs, embryos

April 16, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Washington, April 16 (ANI): The fossilised remains of a 75-million-year-old turtle, only the second in the world found with eggs inside it, underwent CT scanning at Bozeman Deaconess hospital recently.

Knell, a Montana State University graduate student in Earth Sciences, has revealed that the purpose behind the scanning was to see whether he could find a skull and more eggs, besides learning whether or not the eggs contained embryos.

“It allows us to peer inside without digging into it. It gives us a hands-off look without having to break anything,” Knell said.

“It’s very cool,” added Frankie Jackson, an MSU palaeontologist who specializes in eggs.

Knell wanted to scan the entire turtle. Although the edges of its shell were missing, the fossil measured about one foot across and weighed 40 to 50 pounds.

“It’s a lot easier than scanning people,” said CT technician Tanya Spence, who has scanned dinosaur fossils for MSU’s Museum of the Rockies.

She said that she didn’t need to tell the fossil what it would experience during the CT scan, or ask the turtle to hold her breath. She didn’t worry about IV tubes or claustrophobia.

“We get to see bodies everyday, but not these. It’s fun,” she said.

As the CT scanner took cross-sections of the fossil, white images appeared slice by slice on Spence’s computer screen.

Jackson said that CT scans generally worked better on fossils than X-rays and MRIs did.

“Usually embryo bone doesn’t show up too well on a CT scan, so we might no be able to see embryos very well, but it could clue you in that you need to look at the eggs a little closer,” Jackson added.

However, the research team later realised that the eggs weren’t showing up as clearly as they’d expected, and they’d need to examine the images more closely.

They finally saved the images to a disc, and are planning to contact the Museum of the Rockies, which has special software for looking at CT images from a variety of angles.

The researchers expect to present their findings during the fourth international Symposium on Dinosaur Eggs and Babies. Knell’s adviser, David Varricchio, and Jackson are organizing the event, which will be held August 8-10 at MSU. (ANI)

Filed Under: Science News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,