Article
Geology
Juan Antonio Perez-Claros
Summary: The relationship between sutural complexity and body size in Cretaceous ammonoids is analyzed, showing significant correlation but opposite evolutionary dynamics. Body size increases over time, but the complexity of septa remains constant, indicating challenges in predicting macroevolutionary patterns based on correlations with other features.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Hong Zhang, Tian Lan, Zhilin Li
Summary: By studying the street networks in Hong Kong from 1971 to 2018, it was found that cities evolve in a fractal manner, with the dimensions of geometric fractal, topological fractal, and hierarchical fractal increasing over time. This indicates a more mature and complex street network structure with a core-periphery pattern and progressively optimized structural elements. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of urban development.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Geology
Luciana S. Marin, Beatriz Aguirre-Urreta, Peter F. Rawson
Summary: In this study, the Paraspiticeras groeberi Zone was discovered in the Agua de la Mula Member of the Agrio Formation in the Neuquen Basin of west-central Argentina. The newly collected specimens allowed for the recognition of a diverse endemic ammonoid fauna. Based on a taxonomic and stratigraphic review, the Paraemericiceras argentinense and Paraspiticeras bituberculatum Zones are proposed to replace the P. groeberi Zone. This study presents a new biostratigraphic scheme for the upper Hauterivian in the Neuquen Basin.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Heather E. White, Anjali Goswami, Abigail S. Tucker
Summary: Phenotypic variation in mammals is influenced by their ecological diversification, with the skull playing a crucial role in supporting species survival. Sutures between cranial bones are important in growth and brain development, shaping overall skull morphology and function. The developmental mechanisms of sutures have a significant impact on cranial diversity and evolutionary patterns.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eva Alexandra Bischof, Nils Schlueter, Jens Lehmann
Summary: This study quantifies the allometric processes and morphologic disparity of beyrichitine ammonoids using geometric morphometric methods. The results suggest that morphologic disparity and intraspecific variation are likely the result of deviations in the ontogenetic allometric growth pattern (heterochrony).
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arnau Bolet, Edward L. Stanley, Juan D. Daza, J. Salvador Arias, Andrej Cernansky, Marta Vidal-Garcia, Aaron M. Bauer, Joseph J. Bevitt, Adolf Peretti, Susan E. Evans
Summary: Oculudentavis, originally thought to be the smallest avian dinosaur, was proven to be a bizarre lizard of uncertain position. The new interpretation and phylogenetic placement highlight a rare case of convergent evolution in skull proportions, but apparently not in morphological characters.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Juan Benito, Pei-Chen Kuo, Klara E. Widrig, John W. M. Jagt, Daniel J. Field
Summary: The bony palate helps distinguish between the two deepest clades of extant birds: Neognathae and Palaeognathae. The discovery of the new Late Cretaceous ornithurine Janavis finalidens provides evidence supporting the presence of an anatomically neognathous palate in some Mesozoic non-crown ornithurines, suggesting that pterygoids similar to those of extant Galloanserae may be ancestral for crown birds. This challenges previous assumptions about the ancestral palate of crown birds and calls for a reevaluation of the purported galloanseran affinities of early Cenozoic groups.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Daniel Peptenatu, Ion Andronache, Helmut Ahammer, Richard Taylor, Ioannis Liritzis, Marko Radulovic, Bogdan Ciobanu, Marin Burcea, Matjaz Perc, Tuan D. Pham, Bojan M. Tomic, Cosmin Iulian Cirstea, Adrian Nicolae Lemeni, Andreea Karina Gruia, Alexandra Grecu, Marian Marin, Herbert Franz Jelinek
Summary: This study investigates the complexity of 1200 Byzantine icons painted in Greece, Russia, and Romania between the 13th and 16th centuries using the Kolmogorov algorithmic information theory. The findings suggest that the normalized Kolmogorov compression complexity (KC) is the best approach for differentiating the icons from different schools.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Biology
Nicolas R. Chimento, Federico L. L. Agnolin, Makoto Manabe, Takanobu Tsuihiji, Thomas H. H. Rich, Patricia Vickers-Rich, Fernando E. E. Novas
Summary: A tooth from the Late Cretaceous in Argentina suggests the presence of monotremes in South America at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Monotremata, a group of egg-laying mammals represented by the platypus and echidnas, is endemic to Australia and nearby islands. The discovery of a Late Cretaceous monotreme in southern Argentina indicates their presence in circumpolar regions and suggests that their distinctive anatomical features were already present in ancient forms.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Min Wang, Jingmai K. O'Connor, Tao Zhao, Yanhong Pan, Xiaoting Zheng, Xiaoli Wang, Zhonghe Zhou
Summary: Enantiornithes, the most successful group of Mesozoic birds, may have evolved their extravagant tail plumage through sexual selection, resembling those in neornithines. The contrasting tail morphotypes between Enantiornithes and early Ornithuromorpha suggest unique pressures from sexual and natural selections. Early avialans repeatedly evolved extravagant structures, showcasing the importance of sexual selection in shaping feathered dinosaurs' plumage early in their evolutionary history.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ricardo Melchor, Mariano Perez, Pablo Villegas, Nahuel Espinoza, Aldo Umazano, M. Cristina Cardonatto
Summary: Scarcely found in Cretaceous rocks, tetrapod burrows from Patagonia provide insights into paleoecology and paleoenvironment. These burrows, preserved in pyroclastic rocks of eolian dunes and ash-fall deposits, suggest the presence of lepidosaurs, possibly eilenodontine sphenodontians. The rare occurrence of these burrows can be attributed to harsh conditions caused by volcanic ash and a semiarid climate.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iwona Kania-Klosok, Wieslaw Krzeminski, Antonio Arillo
Summary: This study documents the first record of a new species of Helius cranefly from the Maestrazgo Basin in eastern Spain. The specific body morphology of Helius representatives in Spanish amber is discussed in relation to the environmental conditions of the Cretaceous period in the Maestrazgo Basin and Basque-Cantabrian Basin.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Vyacheslav Theodorovich Volov
Summary: This article presents an alternative approach to the systematization and evolution of biological organisms based on the fractal-cluster theory. It introduces the foundations of the fractal-cluster theory in the self-organizing systems of organisms, and presents static and dynamic efficiency criteria. By using simulations of cluster variations, criteria for fractal-cluster stochastics, energy, and evolution laws are obtained.
Article
Plant Sciences
Erik Tihelka, Liqin Li, Yanzhe Fu, Yitong Su, Diying Huang, Chenyang Cai
Summary: An exceptionally preserved short-winged flower beetle fossil provides evidence of pollen-feeding activities in a Cretaceous beetle, confirming diverse beetle lineages visited early angiosperms. The identification of Tricolpopollenites pollen grains suggests potentially diverse beetle lineages visited early angiosperms by the mid-Cretaceous. This fossil offers some of the earliest clues to the origins of angiosperm pollination.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Andres Santos-Cubedo, Carlos de Santisteban, Begona Poza, Sergi Meseguer
Summary: A new spinosaurid genus and species, Protathlitis cinctorrensis gen. et sp. nov., is described based on fossil remains from the Arcillas de Morella Formation in Spain. This discovery reveals a previously unknown diversity of medium-to-large bodied spinosaurid dinosaurs in the Iberian Peninsula during the Early Cretaceous. It also suggests that spinosaurids appeared in Laurasia and later migrated to Africa and Asia where they diversified.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Geology
Jimmy de Rooij, Sybrand A. N. Lucassen, Charlotte Furer, Anne S. Schulp, P. Martin Sander
Summary: This study presents a detailed osteohistological analysis on Triceratops horridus and Triceratops cf. prorsus specimens, aiming to understand the growth and development of ceratopsids. The analysis reveals a distinct pattern of bone tissue growth in Triceratops limb elements, but also suggests that taxonomic ambiguity between Torosaurus and Triceratops cannot be solely resolved based on histological data.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Review
Geology
J. R. Ovando-Figueroa, J. A. Moreno-Bedmar, M. Company, J. A. Jacobo-Delgado
Summary: This article presents a review of ammonoid specimens from the Berriasian and Valanginian age in Zacatecas, Mexico. The study includes updated museographic information, new images, and 3D models of the specimens. Taxonomic identification has revealed six species and two genera. Stratigraphic range data suggests that the specimens belong to the uppermost upper Berriasian to lower Valanginian interval, with several biozones identified. Additionally, a paleobiogeographic analysis indicates a clear affinity with contemporaneous ammonoid assemblages from the Mediterranean region.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Jake Kotevski, Ruairidh J. Duncan, Adele H. Pentland, James P. Rule, Patricia Vickers-Rich, Thomas H. Rich, Erich M. G. Fitzgerald, Alistair R. Evans, Stephen F. Poropat
Summary: The cranial remains of non-avian theropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period in Australia are poorly understood. This study presents new evidence of non-mandibular cranial material, possibly belonging to the Megaraptoridae family, and contributes to the limited knowledge of Australian Cretaceous theropod cranial remains.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Josh Jenkins Shaw, Alexey Solodovnikov, Evgeny E. Perkovsky
Summary: A fossil of the monogeneric rove beetle subfamily Trichophyinae (genus Trichophya) has been discovered in the Upper Cretaceous Taimyr amber from northern Siberia. This finding indicates the morphological differences between ancient and modern Trichophya species groups. By comparing the morphology, distribution, and habitat requirements of extant species, the taxonomy, biogeography, and paleoecology of the Trichophya in Taimyr amber can be better understood.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Martin Kostak, Frank Wiese, Zuzana Kozlova, Adam Culka, Martin Mazuch, Martin Soucek
Summary: A well-preserved fossil of an upper Cretaceous acanthoceratoid ammonite has been discovered in the Bohemian Cretaceous Basin, providing important insights into the jaw anatomy of these extinct organisms.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Gustavo Santiago, Marcelo de Araujo Carvalho, Renato Rodriguez Cabral Ramos, Sandro Marcelo Scheffler
Summary: The Santa Marta Formation in the Antarctic Peninsula is an important sedimentary sequence that provides insights into paleoenvironmental changes. The distribution of sedimentary organic matter reveals three distinct palynofacies associations and shows a progressive transgression from terrestrial to marine environments.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
B. J. Vazquez, D. Castanera, B. Vila
Summary: In Europe, the fossil record of sauropods in the uppermost Cretaceous is mainly found in Spain, France, and Romania. Recently, a significant discovery of titanosaurs' teeth was made in Els Nerets, Spain, which contains the largest tooth sample from the Late Cretaceous in Europe. The teeth show distinct characteristics but cannot be attributed to any known European species. Based on tooth morphology and wear facets distribution, a new taxon is proposed.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Youssef S. Bazeen, Walid G. Kassab, El Sayed M. Moneer, Gebely A. Abu El-Kheir, Mohamed K. Abdelgawad, Haitham M. Ayyad
Summary: This study investigates the Maastrichtian-Danian succession in the Abu Minqar section of the Western Desert of Egypt, using an integrated analysis of biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy. The results suggest that regional tectonics played a substantial role in the depositional history and paleoenvironmental circumstances of the southern Tethys margin.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Fernando R. Rios, Ana M. P. Mizusaki, Rualdo Menegat, Isaque C. Rodrigues
Summary: This study examines the temporal and spatial relationships between fluvio-aeolian, aeolian, and volcanic systems in the southernmost part of the Parana Basin during the Late Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. By analyzing facies and architectural elements, the evolution of the volcano-sedimentary record is reconstructed.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Antonio M. Casas, Arsenio Munoz, Alberto Tella, Carlos L. Liesa
Summary: This work proposes the application of magnetic surveying to study the cyclicity in sedimentary basins. Through measuring the total magnetic field and vertical magnetic gradient, the short-wavelength magnetic anomalies associated with the sedimentary sequence can be analyzed, providing information about the magnetic susceptibility and magnetic remanence of different sedimentary units. The cyclostratigraphic analysis reveals the existence of various cycles and enables the dating of the basin fill, offering new constraints for basin evolution.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Ottilia Szives, Josep A. Moreno-Bedmar, Beatriz Aguirre-Urreta, Miguel Company, Camille Frau, Mikel Lopez-Horgue, Antoine Pictet, Izabela Ploch, Christian Salazar, Ricardo Barragan, Jean -Louis Latil, Jens Lehmann, Stephane Reboulet, Emmanuel Robert
Summary: The 7th meeting of the IUGS Lower Cretaceous Ammonite Working Group discussed important changes in the geological age classification, including adjustments and improvements to the upper Tithonian-Berriasian, upper Aptian, and Albian stages. The meeting also discussed the Valanginian and Hauterivian stages, and provided discussions on zonal indices and units, emphasizing the use of interval zones and subzones.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Felix Schlagintweit, David Gercar, Bostjan Rozic
Summary: A mixed assemblage of planktonic and benthonic foraminifera has been found in the Lower Flyschoid Formation in the western part of the Slovenian Basin. These findings provide valuable insights into the biostratigraphy and paleogeographic configuration of the region during the Early to Middle Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Arkaprava Mukhopadhyay, Debarati Chattopadhyay, Arghya Poddar, Ranita Saha, Sachin Patil, Tushar Sonkar, Sujoy Das, Rudranil Basak, Shubhabrata Paul, Arindam Roy
Summary: Predator-prey interaction exerts significant selection pressure on the evolutionary pathways of both parties. This research presents a new dataset of gastropod drilling predation on molluscan prey from the Upper Cretaceous, highlighting the influence of drilling predation during this period. The study utilizes a hybrid method of surface sampling without physically breaking the host rock. Findings suggest that drilling predation was an established form of predation during the Late Cretaceous, yet remains understudied.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Dany Azar, Andre Nel
Summary: Lebanoaktassia curiosa is a new genus and species of strange dragonfly, representing the first Gondwanan species of the family Aktassiidae. It was found in Hjoula, Lebanon, along with two endemic dragonfly families, suggesting a possible connection to an island insular system in the Early Cretaceous.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)
Article
Geology
Pablo M. Villegas, A. Martin Umazano, Marcelo Krause, Mariana Brea
Summary: Conifer fossil woods from the Campanian Puntudo Chico Formation were studied, confirming the presence of Brachyoxylon currumillii and the introduction of Cupressinoxylon sp. cf. C. artabeae in the formation. The new specimens of Podocarpoxylon mazzonii suggest that this taxon is common in the Cretaceous to Eocene floristic assemblages. The growth-ring analysis of these fossil trees indicates their development under temperate and humid conditions, with slight sensitivity from year to year and a terminal event representing a cessation or retardation of cambial activity. Other paleoclimatic proxies suggest a temperate-warm and humid depositional environment with some semi-arid events in the Puntudo Chico Formation.
CRETACEOUS RESEARCH
(2024)