Field Museum’s Post

In the heart of China's karst landscapes, scientists have found massive sinkholes that contain **ancient forests**. These sinkholes, known as **karst tiankengs**, play a vital role in biodiversity conservation and are teeming with life. The tiankengs act as **refuges for genetic diversity**, especially for endangered species like *Manglietia aromatica*. Here are the key points: - **Karst Tiankengs**: These colossal sinkholes are formed by the dissolution of soluble rocks, such as limestone, which is prevalent in regions like Guangxi, China. - **Hidden Forests**: When you peer down into these giant holes in the Earth, you're greeted not with a desolate rocky cave, but a lush green forest. The scene includes **40-meter-high ancient trees** and a group of endangered wild plants from the times of dinosaurs. - **Genetic Diversity**: A recent study analyzed the genetic diversity of *Manglietia aromatica*, a rare tree species thriving in these deep sinkholes. The genetic diversity within the tiankeng populations of this tree is significantly higher than those found outside the sinkholes. - **Species Resilience**: The tiankengs may act as natural conservatories, preserving a rich genetic pool that enhances species resilience and adaptability. In summary, these hidden sinkhole forests hold long-lost DNA and provide a unique glimpse into ancient ecosystems. 🌳🌿

Summary: Scientists have discovered the fossil of a tiny ancient elephant that roamed Sicily 200,000 years ago. The adult Sicilian dwarf elephant was about the size of a Shetland pony, while its baby was more akin to a dog. The elephant shrunk rapidly over a million years due to the constraints of the island. This discovery provides insight into extreme evolution and how species adapt to different environments. Takeaway: The fossil of a tiny ancient elephant found in Sicily reveals how the species rapidly shrank in size over a million years due to the constraints of the island. This provides a fascinating example of extreme evolution and adaptation to different environments. #Evolution #Adaptation #AncientElephant Note: Please feel free to modify the summary and takeaway as per your requirements.

What is your favourite question about Palaeotherium, 1,2,3,4, or 5? 1. What is Palaeotherium? 🔎 Palaeotherium, which translates to 'old beast' in Ancient Greek, is an extinct genus of perissodactyl ungulate known from the Eocene to earliest Oligocene of Europe. It was first described by French naturalist Georges #Cuvier in 1804 and was among the first Paleogene mammals to be described. 2. What was the size range of Palaeotherium? 💎 Palaeotherium exhibited a diverse range of sizes. The largest species, Palaeotherium magnum, stood over 1.45 m tall at the shoulder. On the other hand, smaller species like Palaeotherium minus were quite diminutive. On average, a species of Palaeotherium stood around 75 cm tall at the shoulder. 3. Where have Palaeotherium fossils been found? 🌍 #Fossils of Palaeotherium have been discovered across Europe, particularly in Middle Eocene-early Oligocene strata in countries like France, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and Greece. 4. What was the diet and habitat of Palaeotherium? 🦕 Palaeotherium was a herbivore and likely a browser, with a diet composed of soft fruit and leaves taken from low hanging vegetation and ground level. The largest species, P. magnum, could have browsed at heights of up to 2m. These browsing adaptions suggest that Palaeotherium may have preferred wooded or at least semi-wooded habitats. 5. When and why did Palaeotherium become extinct? 🦣 Palaeotherium became extinct during the Grande Coupure around 33.6 million years ago, a significant faunal turnover event in the Eocene-Oligocene transition that led to the extinction of many mammal groups that typified Europe.

🔬🦕Scientists led by University of Tartu paleobiologist Olev Vinn found 450-million-year-old marine fossils, including ancient corals and cornulitids, in the proto-Baltic Sea! 🌊 🔍 These findings reveal new insights into early marine biodiversity during the Ordovician period. 🐚📜 Read more 👇 #ResearchInEstonia #EstonianResearchCouncil #EestiTeadusagentuur #Estonia #Science #Innovation #Sustainability #EstonianInnovation #EstonianScience #EstonianResearchers #EstonianRnD #InnovateEstonia #EstonianEducation #EstonianScientificCommunity #InnovativeResearch #GlobalScienceHub #ResearchAndDevelopment #ScienceImpact

Flowering plants play a crucial role in maintaining our biodiversity. But what has been its geologic history? Ecologists, botanists, paleontologists are interested in understanding when flowering plants evolved and what mutual relationships can be observed with other organisms such as insects. My blog post explores the co-evolution of angiosperms and insects, and why Charles Darwin called the appearance of flowering plants an 'abominable mystery'. https://lnkd.in/dAZifP8f

Ancient 23 Million year old Kelp shows Sea Life Evolution Fossilized root-like structures called "holdfasts" from kelp forests up to 23 million years old are offering a glimpse into the evolution of both seaweeds and marine mammals. The petrified kelp remnants were recovered from the renowned Sharktooth Hill Bonebed in central California - containing one of the world’s richest deposits of marine mammal fossils. This allowed researchers to directly correlate the preserved kelp remains with fossils during that time from ancient whales, seals, dolphins and sea cows also buried at the site during the Miocene period. By studying the intricate kelp attachment systems side-by-side with mammalian evolutionary evidence, scientists gained unique insights into how dynamic seaweed bed habitats off the California coast shifted in concert with changes in ocean populations and ecosystems over millions of years. The findings showcase how kelp forests and marine life likely influenced each other’s diversity across eras - stressing the continued importance of conservation efforts for modern underwater giant kelp communities still home to vibrant marine creatures today. If of interest, check out the full article here. t.ly/7rnle

🟥 𝑺𝑪𝑰𝑬𝑵𝑪𝑬𝑺 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝑹𝑻: 𝑨 𝑩𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝑳𝒐𝒔𝒔   According to many ecologists, we are in the midst of a new mass extinction event. And unlike any other in the Earth’s 4.54-billion-year history, this one is caused by a single species of primate: humans. Of course, the death of species is a natural part of evolution, but fuzzy estimates put the current rate of loss at somewhere between 100 and 10,000 times higher than background rates. Our current extinction event is closer to the mass die offs caused by volcanic activity and asteroid impacts than any governing force of evolution. This is both old news and recent history. As early humans ventured from Africa to prosper across the globe, they seem to have left ecological devastation in their wake. Paleoindians, for example, are controversially hypothesized to have hunted various species of North American megafauna into extinction: saber tooth cats, giant beavers, and two tonne armadillos longer than a king-size bed.   But to chalk up the natural world’s destruction to something innately human obscures the specific institutions and individuals that were (and are) outsized contributors to extinction. Humans might be unparalleled predators, but recent extinctions demonstrate how our deadliest weapon is the forms of collective behavior that economic, political, and social life enshrine. The stories of the vanished animals gathered by The Public Domain Review allow us to glimpse these forces and actors ▶️ https://lnkd.in/dEZcHFXF   𝑭𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒖𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝑨𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕: Roelant Savery (1576-1639), Flanders-born Dutch Golden Age painter, “The Dodo” (also known as “Edwards’ Dodo”), late 1620s (One of the most famous and often-copied paintings of a Dodo specimen, as painted by Roelant Savery. The image came into the possession of the ornithologist George Edwards, who later gave it to the British Museum, hence the name “Edwards’ Dodo.” The bird swallowing a frog in the lower right may be the likewise extinct Red Rail. It has also been suggested that the two parrots are the extinct Lesser Antillean Macaw—left and Martinique Macaw—right).   “There are 3797 animals currently on IUCN’s critically endangered list.* Images and stories cannot bring back the dead. But we hope this post might help provide a resource for collective mourning, a means to visualize the scale of loss, and perhaps a spur to action.” The Public Domain Review   *N.B. As of December 2023, of the 157,190 species currently on the IUCN Red List, 9,760 of those are listed as Critically Endangered, with 1,302 being possibly extinct and 67 possibly extinct in the wild.   🖋️𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗱𝗼𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗮, 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗿𝘁, 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟰   #peopleandculture #sciencesandart #naturalhistory #extinction #ecology #wildlifeconservation #biodiversity #endangeredspecies #artbasedlearning #artforthemind #roelantsavery #visualstorytelling #dodo #alternativelearning #learningreimagined

SUNRISE IN JIUTEPEC I come to Jiutepec, Morelos, every other week. Jiutepec is part of Cuernavaca’s metropolitan zone, about 1 hour away from Mexico City. Many people who live in Mexico City spend their weekends in Cuernavaca and its surroundings because it has the best weather in the country. To me, the best part about coming is the sunrise when hundreds of thousands (maybe millions) of birds sing all arround to greet the beginning of a new journey. It is indeed a concert of celebrities—a time for reflection. Of the 9,040 bird species known on the planet, Mexico is home to 11.4%, about 1,036 species. This privileged diversity is due to its geological and paleontological history and its varied orography, climates, and vegetation. Morelos is gifted with some of the richest #bird #biodiversity in the country. Over 400 of Mexico´s bird species have adopted the state of Morelos as its home. That is over a third of the species recorded in the country, a very high diversity, considering the small size of the state territory. Some of the species I listened to this morning, at 5:00 am sharp, include: 🔸 The Hook-billed Kiteve, 🔸 The American Avocet, 🔸 The White-fronted Parrot, 🔸 The Black Swift, 🔸 The Lineated Woodpecker, 🔸 The White-eyed Vireo, 🔸 The Bridled Sparrow, 🔸 The Spring bird, and the 🔸 The Social Flycatcher. Different drivers including rapid loss of habitat, pollution of water bodies and land, illegal extraction, and climate change threaten birds from Morelos. However, the federal and state governments have worked on initiatives to identify and classify the species and to address some of the drivers that put their existence at risk. Would you like to know more about birds from Morelos?: https://lnkd.in/e7BATXaj Energy and Water Development Corp. UN Environment Programme UN Biodiversity #birds #biodiversity #esg #naturepositive #naturebasedsolutions

Are sharks part of your corporate strategy? Do you dare to integrate your business into living systems instead of exploiting them? Contributing to the thriving of the living system we are all embedded in, also contributes to a thriving future.

Happy World Environment Day! 🌍 Today, we celebrate the beauty and diversity of our planet while reflecting on our role in preserving it for future generations. Palaeontology teaches us about Earth's history, revealing how life has evolved and adapted over millions of years. By studying fossils, we gain valuable insights into past climates, ecosystems, and the impacts of environmental changes. Currently, we are living through what many scientists call the next mass extinction. Human activities are driving unprecedented rates of species loss and environmental degradation. However, by learning from the past, we can take action to mitigate these impacts. Every small effort counts—whether it's using reusable bags, reducing water waste, recycling, or planting native plants in your garden. Together, we can make a difference and ensure a sustainable future for all life on Earth. #WorldEnvironmentDay #Palaeontology #EarthHistory #Conservation #Sustainability #ProtectOurPlanet #MassExtinction #ActNow 🌍🦖🌿🌱🦴🌎