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Special Sessions Details
1. Advances and Applications of Paleozoic Palynology and Palynostratigraphy in the Arabian Plate and Adjoining regions
Marco Vecoli, Saudi Aramco Oil company
Charles Wellman, University of Sheffield
(Saudi Aramco Sponsored)
This special session invites contribution focused on Paleozoic Palynology of the Arabian Plate and adjoining regions of the northern Gondwana domain. All aspects of Paleozoic Palynology and their applications will be covered, such as:
- Taxonomy and systematics;
- Palynostratigraphic applications;
- Development of optical methods for kerogen classification and organic maturity assessment;
- Applications to basin modelling;
- Applications to conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon exploration
Keywords: palynostratigraphic, kerogen classification and hydrocarbon exploration
Reed Wicander, School of Earth and Environmental Science, The University of Queensland, Australia
Hartmut Jäger, GeoResources Steinbeis Transfer-Centre, Germany
(CIMP Sponsored)
This special session includes all groups of Palaeozoic palynomorphs – acritarchs, chitinozoans, cryptospores, miospores, pollen, scolecodonts, and small carbonaceous fossils, with a special focus on new and innovative studies currently being carried out in this field. These studies build on the traditional strengths and foundations of classical Palaeozoic palynology such as taxonomy, classification, palynostratigraphy, palaeogeography, and palaeoenvironmental analyses.The topics mentioned above are included in this session, but the emphasis is on the future directions of Palaeozoic palynology research. Such themes include, but are not limited to, integrative studies incorporating palynology with other fossil groups to provide a more comprehensive and detailed regional and global biostratigraphy; new and innovative statistical studies of Palaeozoic palynomorphs; the application of palynomorphs in palaeogeographic and palaeoenvironmental analysis; characterization of organic matter in relation to both mineral and petroleum exploration; anatomical, physiological, and geochemical studies, as they relate to the origin and biologic affinities of the aforementioned palynomorph groups. This special session will be inclusive in terms of both current and future research trends, as well as speculative presentations on the future of Palaeozoic palynology.
Keywords: palaeozoic palynomorphs and integrative studies
Ellen Stolle, Beratender Geowissenschaftler BDG, Germany
José Bienvenido Diez Ferrer, Departamento de Geociencias M. y O.T., University of Vigo, Spain
Age dating is indispensable for the classification and verification of sedimentary rock bodies and models, and for reconstructions of palaeoenvironments. This session focuses on all aspects of Upper Palaeozoic and Mesozoic palaeobotanical biostratigraphy, including the use of palynology and macrofloras.
In particular, it will focus on the use of special tools, applications, and common or individually customized methods to produce improved and conclusive stratigraphical results. Examples of the themes to be covered include:
- the application, validation, or development of palynological, macrofloral or other zones, or biozonal schemes
- age determinations by biostratigraphical and stratigraphical correlation
- age control on biostratigraphical results / 'multi-proxy' approach for stratigraphical dating
- high-resolution biostratigraphical dating
- identification of particular stratigraphical markers (key biostratigraphical taxa)
- the revision of first or last appearance data of stratigraphical markers
- recognition of environmental and depositional factors that can influence biostratigraphical results
- use of archives and collections to revise stratigraphical results.
Keywords: Age dating, palynological biostratigraphy and 'multi-proxy' approach
Friðgeir Grímsson, Christa-Charlotte Hofmann and Reinhard Zetter, University of Vienna, Department of Palaeontology, Austria
This session is open for all contributions regarding palaeopalynology where single taxa or complete floras are studied using electron microscopy (EM). The morphological features of fossil pollen become much more detailed when studied using both LM and SEM (also TEM). This session is meant to highlight the importance of combining these approaches on the same fossil pollen grain for a more accurate botanical affiliation to pollen of extant plants. All contributions on taxonomy, palaeovegetation, palaeoenvironments and palaeophytogeography are welcomed.
Keywords: electron microscopy (EM), pollen and botanical affiliation
5. High temporal resolution palynology and palaeoecology – From centennial to decadal vegetation change, to yearly flowering cycles and seasonal insights from stratified Quaternary deposits
Jean Nicolas Haas, University of Innsbruck, Institute of Botany, Austria
Benjamin Dietre, University of Bourgogne Franche-Comté, Laboratoire Chrono-environnement, France
Reconstructing long-term changes in vegetation systems or biomes by palynological or palaeoecological means from all kinds of deposits world-wide has a more than 100 year long tradition. However, recently, new sampling strategies and methodological achievements were made to maximize and increase the chronological resolution in palynological/palaeoecological studies in order to gain detailed insights into short-term flora and vegetation processes. In this session we therefore welcome oral and poster contribution on any kinds of palynological/palaeoecological results from stratified, naturally or anthropologically accumulated deposits allowing insights into ecological changes of centennial or lower time resolution during the Quaternary.
Keywords: vegetation systems, chronological resolution and world-wide
6. Quantitative pollen-based reconstructions of plant cover for environmental and archaeological research
Marie-José Gaillard, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
Furong Li, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden
Ralph Fyfe, Plymouth University, Plymouth, UK
Models of the pollen-vegetation relationship and approaches/methods for reconstruction of past plant cover in quantitative terms have been developed, tested and applied over the last two decades. However, it is only in recent years that these models/methods and related software are made more flexible, efficient and widely accessible, and they are tested and used more broadly. Such reconstructions have already been shown to be useful in the study of scientific questions/hypotheses for which estimates of past plant cover in absolute values (in % cover of an area of known size or in m2/m2) at large or small spatial scales are required. Questions related to vegetation-climate interactions and human versus climate impacts on terrestrial vegetation and plant diversity (past, present and future) are especially in need of such information from the past. Given the increasing number of such studies, it would be most valuable to gather together scientists working with these model approaches and applying them to test specific research questions. Contributions from all parts of the world dealing with model/method development for pollen-based reconstructions of plant/vegetation cover and their application in Late Quaternary environmental research will be welcome. Hypothesis testing to understand processes involved in climate-vegetation-human interactions in the past and formulate lessons from the past for present and future environmental challenges will be of particular interest.
Keywords: vegetation-climate interactions, human vs. climate impacts and model approaches
Irina Delusina, Dept. of Earth and Planetary Sciences and Honey and Pollenation Center, Univ. of California, Davis, USA
Tiiu Koff, Institute of Ecology, Tallinn, Estonia
Melissopalynology, in the modern scientific sense, is now able to provide a much broader range of information than simply documenting the pollen contained in a particular type of honey. This new capability has arisen as a response to new chemical, physical and statistical methods of data treatment and to a better understanding of the functioning of the global environmental system. The goal of this session is to survey the most advanced applications of melissopalynology to modern natural problems and its use in studying climatic effects, developing paleoclimate reconstructions and making environmental forecasts. We welcome contributions on:
- Geographical and botanical origins of honey, based on pollen analyses;
- Methods of pollen tracking in the study of honey, including isotopes methods;
- Reconstruction of the evolution/degradation of plant communities, based on the study of pollen from honey;
- Climatic effects on pollen productivity and its relationship to honey quality;
- Specification of bee-pollinated plants for specific geographical regions;
- Morphology of honey pollen and pollen identification methods.
- Documentation of agricultural land use changes based on pollen composition of honey.
Keywords: honey, pollen tracking and climatic effects
Michael Krings, Bayerische Staatssammlung für Paläontologie und Geologie, Germany
Carla J. Harper, Universty of Kansas, USA
Gar W. Rothwell, Oregon State University, USA
Paleobotany today is interdisciplinary research. A paleobotanist fifty years ago needed geology and plant biology to study fossil plants. However, research areas such as geochemistry, molecular biology, microbiology, biomechanics, phylogeny etc. are transforming our approaches to, and perception of, the analysis of fossil plants and ecosystems, and some of these once so remote research areas are becoming increasingly important for, and integral parts of, paleobotanical research. Throughout his career, Thomas N. Taylor was a strong advocate for interconnecting and integrating research areas in order to push the discipline forward, and has done so continuously in his own work. This symposium will exemplify the potential of utilizing interdisciplinary research in paleobiological inquiry. We propose a wide-ranging coverage that includes the broadest possible spectrum of topics analyzing the structure, function, and evolution of fossil plants and microorganisms, as well as organismal interrelatedness in fossil ecosystems. For this, we will gather scientists who have made transformative contributions interfacing with T.N. Taylor 's scholarship, and request papers that characterize or summarize the most up to date understanding of an important field of study. In addition, the special volume "Transformative paleobotany: Papers to commemorate the life and legacy of Thomas N. Taylor" edited by Michael Krings, Carla J. Harper, Gar W. Rothwell & Rubén N. Cúneo (Academic Press, Elsevier Inc., 2018) will be introduced during this symposium.
Keywords: paleobotanist, interdisciplinary research and Thomas.N. Taylor 's scholarship
Cindy V. Looy, Department of Integrative Biology, Museum of Paleontology, UC and Jepson Herbaria, University of California Berkeley, USA
Claire M. Belcher, wildFIRE Lab, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
Jonathan P. Wilson, Departments of Biology and Environmental Studies, Haverford College, USA
Paleobiology informs us about the state and fate of the biosphere of past worlds and its environment by studying fossils and information derived from fossils. However, the range of questions we can ask of the fossil record is limited by the amount of organisms that fossilize, are discovered, described and curated, and also by aspects of the dead organisms that actually preserved. Experimental studies can help to overcome some of these limitations. Experimental paleobiology allows us to infer aspects of the functioning of organisms and ecosystems in past worlds using methods that are informed by the anatomy, morphology, biogeography, and environmental context of plant fossils which may additionally be linked to numerical modelling approaches. Recent methodological advances have led research groups to employ experimental approaches to answer deep-time paleobotanical questions based on the uniformitarian notion of unaltered physical and chemical aspects of processes, including (but not limited to) those concerning plant physiology, chemistry, flammability and fire history, biomechanics and taphonomy. Experiments with extant plants can be used to explore ancestral, plesiomorphic responses to environmental change or stressors by comparing the experimental responses of distantly related extant crown groups informed by the fossil record. As such experimental paleobotany can illuminate the evolutionary history of land plants, the functioning of plants and their ecosystems and their Earth system feedbacks during times of non-analog climate and biomes.
Keywords: plesiomorphic responses and deep-time paleobotany
Anaïs Boura, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
Anne-Laure Decombeix, CNRS-UMR AMAP, Montpellier, France
(Convenors on behalf of IAWA)
The advent of wood is a key event in plant evolution, and fossil evidence indicates that the production of this tissue by a vascular cambium evolved independently in several major lineages of vascular plants during the Paleozoic (i.e., lycopsids, sphenopsids, some ferns s.l., and the lignophytes). Today, the gymnosperms and angiosperms that dominate most extant ecosystems offer an insight into the complexity and diversity of wood anatomy and how it results from a combination of intrinsic and external factors. In the geological record, wood is one of the most common types of plant macrofossil. Its preservation at the cellular level allows for detailed anatomical studies and fossil wood can thus be used in a variety of approaches to reconstruct ancient plant life and environments. This IAWA sponsored general session will welcome all contributions linked to the study of fossil wood and bark anatomy, ranging from the description of new taxa to the use of wood to reconstruct the diversity, biology, and/or environment of fossil plants. We also invite contributions that aim to move forward the taxonomy of fossil woods, introduce new methods of analysis, or advance the conservation of fossil specimens and sites. Studies that focus more specifically on the timing and phylogeny of functional traits in wood can be submitted in our sister symposium on these topics.
Keywords: wood anatomy, vascular cambium and lineages
Leyla Seyfullah, University of Goettingen, Germany
Jacopo Dal Corso, University of Leeds, UK
Guido Roghi University of Padova, Italy
The recent discoveries of so many amber deposits across the world, and through earth history, means that we are now gaining insights into resinous ecosystems through time. The most notable deposits are from the Late Triassic, the Early and mid-Cretaceous, and the Eocene to Miocene, and these coincide with key times in plant evolution and/or palaeoclimatic events, providing us with increasing knowledge on ecosystems at these times. Amber is most famous for the often exquisitely preserved fossils entrapped within it, however, as it is an organic substance we also recognize that amber can contain information on its botanical source and potential ecological reasons for the original resinous outpouring.
This session draws together diverse research areas linked by amber. Any talk on resin and amber chemistry, amber-preserved fossils and resin taphonomy is welcome, as is research on understanding the diverse ecosystems that have been responsible for amber bearing deposits, and exploring the evidence for both the amber producing plants themselves, and the other plants/organisms that made up these distinctive ecosystems. Linking these plant communities to their depositional/geological setting is also very welcome.
Keywords: amber deposits and resinous ecosystems
12. Paleobotany and Palynology of the Deccan Intertrappean beds, late Cretaceous to Paleocene of Central India
Steven Manchester, University of Florida, USA
Bandana Samant, RTM Nagpur University, India
Selena Smith, University of Michigan, USA
We will examine recent advances in our understanding of the flora of the Deccan Intertrappean beds of central India. The stratigraphic distribution, taxonomic affinities and biogeographic significance of the flora will be considered. Well-preserved flowers and fruits, together with silicified woods and dispersed pollen, along with new analytical methods, provide an improved basis for understanding the flora of India at a time when the subcontinent was still isolated from other major land masses.
Likely participants and topics include: Selena Smith (Review of the conifers of the Deccan Intetrappean Beds), Dashrath Kapgate (Review of angiosperm flowers and fruits from the classic Mohgaonkalan chert), Steven Manchester (Investigating fossil fruits and flowers of the Deccan Intertrappean beds and their geographic and stratigraphic distribution). Kelly Matsunaga* (Palms of the Deccan Intertrappean beds), Dhananjay Mohabey (stratigraphic distribution of main paleobotanical localities in relation to chronology from p-mag. and vertebrate fossils), Bandana Samant (Palynoflora and stratigraphy of the Deccan Intertrappean beds), Deepali Thakre* (Palynoflora of Chhindwara area), Elisabeth Wheeler, Rashmi Srivastava, Pieter Baas (Systematic affinities and climate implications of the Deccan Intertrappean petrified woods).
*Graduate student researcher
Keywords: Deccan Intertrappean beds, taxonomic affinities and biogeographic significance
Thomas Denk and Johannes Bouchal, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Palaeobiology; University of Vienna, Department of Palaeontology
Biogeographic patterns are the result of abiotic and biotic factors and have markedly changed over time. With this symposium we want to provide a platform for palaeobotanists working on various aspects of biogeography.
Research focussing on biogeographical patterns during particular time periods, investigating biogeographical affinities of local plant assemblages from low to high latitudes, tracing the biogeographic history of particular taxa and comparing it with modern distribution patterns, using phylogenetic frameworks or not, and utilizing different plant organs equally well fits within the symposium.
Keywords: biogeographical patterns, abiotic and biotic factors
Zhe-kun Zhou and Tao Su, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
Lutz Kunzmann, Senckenberg Natural History Collections Dresden, Germany
It is one of main targets in the current world to understand how did palaeoenvironment changes shape biodiversity in geological past. For studying this topic, fossils from areas which have both complex environment conditions and high biodiversity play a crucial role. Tibet, Himalayas and Hengduan mountains experienced dramatic uplift and formed complex topography and varieties of climates; meanwhile, Himalayas and Hengudan mountains are hotspots of biodiversity in the world nowadays. Strongly affected by monsoons the time of onset of these specific climate regimes is still a matter of debade between geoscientists and molecular biologists. ManyCenozoic floras were found from Tibet, Himalayas and Henduan mountains which potentially open windows to deep-time palaeoenvironments. All these facts make Tibet, Himalayas and Hengudan mountains predestinated as natural laboratories to test the influence and role of palaeoenvironment changes on the formation and development of biodiversity. During recent decades, fossils from those regions attracted a lot of attentions not only to palaeobotanists, but also to researchers from other disciplines, such as geologists, and ecologists. It is time to integrate evidence from plant fossils, palaeoclimate reconstructions, geological information, and molecular data to better understand the mechanisms of biodiversity in response to palaeoenvironmental changes. This symposium will provide a platform for those who are interested in the theme mentioned above. Meanwhile, it will have broad audience from palaeontology to modern biology, and we hope this symposium will stimulate further cooperation for researchers from different disciplines.
Keywords: topography, hotspots and palaeoclimate
Dieter Uhl, Senckenberg Research Institute, Germany
Maria Barbacka, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Hungary
The Triassic was a period of significant changes of climate and floras. After a dry period at the beginning, climate changed to warmer and wetter conditions during the Middle Triassic, leading to intensive radiation of gymnosperms. Many groups, like seed ferns (Peltaspermales), cycads, bennettites, ginkgophytes became dominant and continued their evolutionary development into the Jurassic which was their bloom time. On the Southern Hemisphere the Glossopteris flora changed into the Dicroidium flora which had more and more elements common with the Northern Hemisphere. Thanks to favourable climate during the Jurassic gymnosperms reached their maximum diversity. The session is dedicated to present new results on Triassic and Jurassic palaeobotany and ecosystem research.
Lisa Boucher, University of Texas, USA
Nathan Jud, Florida Museum of Natural History, USA
(Convenors on behalf of IAWA)
Secondary xylem has a long fossil record, and clearly has played an adaptive role in water transport and for mechanical support in plants. As a tissue it is composed of different types of cells with suites of characters that have varied through time both phylogenetically and with plant habit and habitat. This session will focus on aspects of the timing and phylogenetic placement of functional traits in the evolution of secondary xylem including, but not limited to: trends in the appearance of traits in the fossil record; combinations of characters in phylogenetic lineages; novel traits as adaptations to environmental or niche shifts; evolution of trait correlations; and phylogenetic constraints on wood evolution.
Keywords: secondary xylem and phylogenetic linages
Evelyn Kustatscher, Museum of Nature South Tyrol, Italy
Niall W. Paterson, Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Norway
Benjamin Bomfleur, Institut für Geologie und Paläontologie, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Germany
Seemingly sudden appearances and disappearances of taxa over geologic time form the foundations of biostratigraphy. Many system boundaries have been established based on dramatic changes in species composition in the fossil record. The patterns of diversification, extinction or species turnover in animal groups, however, are in many cases strikingly different from what we see in the plant-fossil record.
We wish to bring together a diverse suite of oral and poster presentations that shed new light on the poorly understood patterns of rise and demise of plant groups. Contributors are welcome to present latest results on new fossil finds, novel techniques, or analytical tools that help us get a better understanding of how plants originated, diversified, or disappeared during critical times in Earth History. Topics may include micro- and macrofossils (or both) and range from earliest plant life to the rise of angiosperms.
Keywords: biostratigraphy, species turnover and species composition
Matthew Pound; Northumbria University, UK
Ulrich Salzmann; Northumbria University, UK
The climate of the Cenozoic is presented as a predominant cooling trend towards the modern day. Within this cooling trend there are a myriad of climate transitions, boundaries and extreme environmental changes. How vegetation responds to these events is of great interest to understanding future climate. In this session we welcome submissions of Cenozoic palynological and palaeobotanical studies aimed at understanding and quantifying the transitions, boundaries and extreme environments of the Cenozoic. In particular we welcome high-resolution studies, multi-site studies or large scale synthesis work.
Keywords: Cenozoic, climate transitions and future climate
18. Plant evolution; floral diversity and the response of plants to environmental stress from deep time
Wolfram M. Kürschner, Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
Heather Pardoe and Christopher Cleal, Department of Natural Sciences (Botany Section), National Museum Wales, UK
Changing plant diversity has profoundly influenced the evolution of life on Earth, affecting animal life on land and in the seas, as well as impacting local and global (e.g. climatic) environments. Although some of these diversity changes were relatively slow, others were more abrupt. It has been assumed, for instance, that the five Phanerozoic mass extinctions that affected marine life can also be seen in plant evolution. However, the effect of these events on plants is more equivocal – as Alfred Traverse suggested 30 years ago, that it seems that "Plant evolution dances to a different beat."
This session will present new palynological and palaeobotanical evidence of vegetation dynamics through time, allowing comparison between different methodologies and approaches. Are the same methods suitable for data from both deep time and the relatively recent past, and for both gradual and more abrupt (mass extinction) changes? How do we account for inconsistencies in taxonomy and sampling in the fossil record? How can we relate the effects of mass extinctions, plant migrations and evolution, to the overall development of life on Earth?
We hope to improve our understanding of the dynamics of past vegetational diversity through deep time to the present day, and its wider effect on life and habitats on Earth – to find new insights into common problems, irrespective of differences in timescale.
Keywords: mass extinctions and plant diversity
19. Databases, online services and digital literature: response to challenges of palaeobotany in XXI century
Alexander Doweld, National Institute of Carpology, Russia
Jiří Kvaček, National Museum Prague, Czech Republic
In the new era based on electronic communication palaeobotany needs an online, open access, and community generated registry of fossil plant nomenclature as a service to the global scientific community. A dynamic data base should document all nomenclatural novelties (new scientific names of extinct plants) and associated data, including registry of the scientific publications (taxonomic literature) containing nomenclatural acts, and authors in palaeobotany and palaeontology in general. In contrast to open web projects with no editorial responsibility, the scientific databases should be governed by experts and editors, responsible for the scientific content and its conformity to modern rules of botanical nomenclature. Otherwise, these data bases are at risk of being transformed into subjective lists of names with no scientific merit. The importance of interlinks between professional data bases are emphasized to produce a qualified network of data linking the taxonomical literature (including digitized repositories), name indices and illustrations of fossils, suitable for global search engines. This general session will welcome all contributions linked to the production of open websites dedicated to electronic communication, databases, registration and compilation of fossil plant names, including spore/pollen taxa, wood and cuticular remains, and fossil algae, prokaryotes (formerly considered as algae) and fungi. Additional topics are: online services, digitization, digital literature etc.
Keywords: nomenclatural databases, collection databases, digital literature, digitization
Charilaos Yiotis, School of Biology and Environmental Science; Earth Institute, University College Dublin, Ireland
Borja Cascales-Miñana, Evo-Eco-Paleo, UMR 8198, CNRS, University of Lille, France
Joseph D. White, Department of Biology, Baylor University, USA
José B. Diez, Departamento de Geociencias M. y O.T. Facultad de Ciencias del Mar. Universidad de Vigo, Spain
Xin Wang,CAS Key Laboratory of Economic Stratigraphy and Palaeogeography, Nanjing Institute of Geology and Palaeontology, CAS, China
Jennifer C. McElwain, Department of Botany, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
The fossil record provides key evidence for a comprehensive view of plant evolution and its interaction with the atmosphere and other environmental factors. However, our understanding of the mechanisms by which plant-atmosphere interactions can shape patterns in plant and geological evolution remains limited. Rapid changes in paleo-atmospheric composition have often been accompanied by the diversification of main plant clades and shifts in the ecological dominance between extant groups. A different aspect of this input-feedback relationship is that the early phase of the greening of the Earth's surface was driven by a series of key plant innovations including: occurrence of vasculature, secondary growth, and/or seed origin (among others). These morphological and anatomical innovations in plants are hinged with planetary biogeochemical cycles. In this context, the timing of key plant innovations have routinely been interpreted as indications of atmospheric change over time. This session will highlight the latest advances in the field of plant-atmosphere interactions and its relationship with the key steps of plant evolution. Interdisciplinary attempts in order to provide an integrative view about plant diversification and main changes of Earth's System through time are encouraged.
Keywords: plant clades, evolutionary innovations and paleo-atmospheric composition
Paul Kenrick and Christine Strullu-Derrien, Department of Earth Sciences, The Natural History Museum, UK
Chris Berry, School of Earth and Ocean Science, Cardiff University, UK
Our aim is to bring together scientists researching the early evolution of soil ecosystems (broadly defined) to discuss new approaches, techniques and results. This is a highly multidisciplinary area of broad general interest in the Earth Sciences. Our focus will be on the organismal component and the interactions with sediments and minerals. We are especially interested in the effects of weathering at the scale micrometres to centimetres which is particularly important but comparatively poorly understood. We will address the question: How did the evolution of plants, lichens, fungi and other microorganisms contributed to the establishment of soils in early terrestrial ecosystems and what were the broader consequences to key Earth Systems?
We envisage a symposium with at least 6 speakers addressing three important times in the evolution of soils and associated organisms: 1. Proterozoic (before plants; microbial soils); 2. Early Devonian (before forests; cryptogamic ground covers); 3. Mid-Late Devonian (earliest forests ecosystems). We include two or three presentations focus key organism/soil interactions: e.g., 4. Fungi and other microbes, 5. Evolution of roots. Ideally, we will round off with a geochemical talk focussing on the carbon and/or oxygen cycles. We have identified ideal speakers and have commitments of half at this stage but are confident that we can deliver the other speakers.
Attendees will get a state of the art overview of the early evolution of soils and associated organisms, the methods used to study them, and their broader global impact.
We would welcome opening up the symposium to a couple of relevant contributed presentations and to associated posters.
Keywords: soil ecosystems, organismal components and interactions
Margaret E. Collinson and Andrew C. Scott, Earth Sciences Department, Royal Holloway University of London, UK
We are interested in having a very wide ranging symposium to celebrate the scientific contributions of Bill Chaloner. Bills research publishing career spanned 1951-2017 and he taught Botany, Palaeobotany and Palynology in London University between 1956 and 2015.
We envisage short presentations (15mins + 5 discussion) where speakers focus on their own specialist topic and, while doing so, reflect briefly on the past 70 years for that subject and look forward to the future.
Listed below are themes that we feel capture some of Bills many and varied interests. Some examples of his work are given in brackets. We suggest that potential participants consider these themes (but need not be limited by them).
- Plants as palaeoproxies (e.g. CO2, climate, vegetation, global change, fire);
- Experimental approaches (e.g. mimicking effects of compression; feeding spores to locusts);
- New methods of study and imaging (e.g. latex replicas, early use of SEM for plant fossils; organic geochemistry);
- Paleozoic plants (everything from spores to whole plants)
- Nomenclatural issues (Between 1969 and 2011 Bill served on various committees and as an editor of codes for IBC).
- Simple, memorable, innovative teaching (e.g. using morphological variation in Recent Ginkgo leaves to discuss implications for species concepts in fossils; demonstrating the difference between SD and SI by moving an image on an overhead projector further away from the screen; never forgetting the importance of field work from modern mires to coal mine tip heaps)
Keywords: Bill Chaloner, palaeoproxies, Paleozoic plants
23. Geochemical and molecular proxies from fossil plants and palynomorphs: new techniques, new challenges
Barry Lomax, University of Nottingham, UK*
Daniela Festi, Free University of Bolzano, Italy*
Keith Bennett, University of St Andrews, UK
William Fletcher, University of Manchester, UK
Phillip Jardine, University of Münster, Germany
Wesley Fraser, Oxford Brookes University, UK
Alistair Seddon, University of Bergen, Norway
Geochemical and molecular proxies preserved within fossil/ sub-fossilised plant organs may provide a wealth of information that can be used to deliver new understanding of old problems in paleobotanical and palaeoecological research. Approaches vary from the use of carbon isotopes to deliver insights into changes in the global carbon cycle, and to infer changes in plant ecophysiology such as water use efficiency. Pollen-chemistry methods are being used to perform reconstructions of past UV-B fluxes and to gain information about taxonomy. New ancient- and environmental- DNA techniques are enabling sub-species level population diversity to be reconstructed from sediments.
However, the development of new proxies results in a number of challenges requiring modern-day calibration studies and an understanding of taphonomic and diagenetic processes. This is crucial if the information from these new approaches are to be interpreted robustly.
This session aims to bring together workers using novel geochemical and molecular techniques to explore how plant fossils may be used in a dynamic/ mechanistic manner to address a variety of questions that cut across temporal and spatial scales. In line with the conference ethos we welcome submissions from any time period and on any plant organ/tissue. Submissions that focus on modern- and/or palaeo-archives are encouraged, with a specific focus on those that use these data to address new questions, or that attempt to unravel key processes related to reducing any uncertainties in interpretation of these records.
Keywords: biogeochemical signals, carbon isotopes and plant fossils
24. Can the past unlock the future? Using palaeobotany & palaeoecology to predict future ecological trends
Karen Bacon, School of Geography, University of Leeds, UK
Claire Belcher, Department of Geography, University of Exeter, UK
Palaeobiological studies often cite the utility of their results to interpreting near-future trends or changes in ecology but seldom develop these ideas beyond a cursory comment or two. More often, we look at modern plants and ecosystems as a means to interpret change observed through examination of the fossil record; however, if we can use modern plants to interpret the past then perhaps we should also be considering the utility of using palaeobotanical approaches to inform our predictions of the future. This session aims to investigate the range of possibilities and challenges for palaeobotanical/palaeoecological studies to contribute to and inform modern ecology and help to predict and understand how our modern ecosystems may alter due to near-future climate change.
Topics on proxy development, extinction risk, ecology–climate interactions, modelling, all welcome.
Keywords: predictions and modern plants
25. Cenozoic plant diversity gradients in time and space and their impact on early humans (ROCEEH/NECLIME)
Angela A. Bruch, ROCEEH Research Centre, Senckenberg Research Institute, Germany
Alexandra-Jane Henrot and Louis François, Unité de Modélisation du Climat et des Cycles Biogéochimiques, UR-SPHERES, University of Liège, Belgium
Natalia Rudaya, Centre of Cenozoic Geochronology, Institute of Archaeology & Ethnography, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russia
Torsten Utescher, Senckenberg Research Institute, Frankfurt am Main; Steinmann Institute, University of Bonn, Germany
The worldwide cooling throughout the Cenozoic and decline of atmospheric carbon dioxide had a significant impact on the evolution of biodiversity. The diversity evolution of various plant groups and functional types mirrors the differentiation of phytocoenoses existing under equable climate conditions in the earlier Palaeogene into communities thriving under steeper latitudinal temperature gradients and the development of seasonal drought in the continental interiors. Moreover, the Cenozoic era is characterized by significant uplift and hence increase in geodiversity in many regions of the globe thus producing also altitudinal diversity gradients. These changes in the structure and functions of vegetation and ecosystems also impacted the evolution of Cenozoic fauna, as well as the displacement and life habits of early humans and pre-humans communities, which make use of vegetation directly, as in the case of food and firewood, and indirectly, for example as a habitat for animal life.
Quantitative reconstructions of palaeovegetation from data and models are thus crucial to understand the interactions between Cenozoic climate and vegetation changes, as well as their impact on early humans, their migration routes and behavioral or cultural changes since the Early Pleistocene.
In this session, we welcome contributions on quantitative reconstructions of vegetation from proxy data and/or models at various spatiotemporal scales of the Cenozoic era, and particularly at archaeological/palaeoantropological sites relevant for the Palaeolithic expansion. This open session is organised in the framework of NECLIME (Neogene Climate Evolution in Eurasia, www.neclime.de) and ROCEEH (The Role of Culture in Early Expansions of Humans, www.roceeh.net).
Keywords: phytocoenoses and climate conditions and Cenozoic
Angelica Feurdean Senckenberg Biodiveristy and Climate Research Centre, Germany
Walter Finsinger, Palaeoecology (UMR 5554 CNRS), Montpellier, France
Andrea Miebach, University of Bonn, Germany
Nadine Pickarski, University of Bonn, Germany
Graciela Gil Romera Department of Geography and Earth Sciences of the Aberystwyth University, Wales, UK
Laura Sadori, Universita degli Studi di Roma La Sapienza, Italy
Lyudmila Shumilovskikh, University of Göttingen, Germany
Terrestrial and marine sedimentary archives provide valuable insights into both long-term and short-term ecosystem dynamics, thereby improving knowledge of the connections between climate, vegetation, disturbances (e.g. fire), and land-use changes. Such records allow fire-vegetation feedbacks to be examined and thus learn more about the impact of fire-regime changes (frequency, severity, and spatial extent) on vegetation composition, species coexsitence, and adaptive strategies of plants to fire.
In this multidisciplinary session, we invite contributions investigating Quaternary environments from Europe to the Near East including the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea that may refine the understanding of environmental interactions and thus help to assess the impact of recent and future climate changes in a longer-term context. We welcome multi-proxy studies spanning any time frame within the past 500,000 years that make use of high-resolution analysis of palaeoecological indicators to describe, reconstruct, and model paleoenvironments and fire-vegetation feedbacks.
The session aims to:
- Examine long-term and short-term paleoecological processes driven by climate oscillations and disturbance factors
- Provide a comprehensive view of fire dynamics in different vegetation types focusing on climate or vegetation-driven fires
- Assess shifts in plant diversity to climate change and fire
- Understand the role of plant traits for the resilience to changing climate and fire regimes
Keywords: Quaternary environments and multi-proxy-studies
27. Work vertically, think 3-dimensionally: palaeocology in topographically complex mountain settings
Walter Finsinger, CNRS, Montpellier, France
Eniko Magyari, ELTE, Budapest, Hungary
Konstantinos Panagiotopoulos, University of Cologne, Germany
Mountains are among the most sensitive ecosystems to environmental change and are being affected at a faster rate than other terrestrial habitats. The history of the late Quaternary unfolds unique records of past environmental change and vegetation dynamics and thereby represents a critical intersection between ecology, Quaternary palaeobiology, and global climate-change studies. Long-term records can show, for instance, past land-cover changes and vegetation dynamics. Thus, these archives allow determining the legacy of past climatic and land-use changes as well as disturbance regimes that shaped modern ecosystems.
The interpretation of long-term palaeoecological records in mountain regions needs to integrate over different spatial scales (elevation and horizontal space) to take into account the complex topography. Hence, the motto coined a century ago by Lennart von Post "Work vertically, think horizontally" needs to be extended to take into consideration altitudinal vegetation shifts.
We seek contributions showing the variety of late-Quaternary ecosystem responses in mountain regions: from tolerance in situ, to moderate shifts in habitat (treeline and timberline shifts), to migration and/or extinction, depending on magnitudes and rates of environmental change and changing disturbance regimes.
Keywords: Quaternary, vegetation dynamics, mountainous habitats, treeline shifts
Benjamin Dietre, Laboratoire Chrono-environnement, University Bourgogne Franche-Comté, France
Fabienne Marret-Davies, Department of Geography and Planning, School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK
Havandanda Ombashi, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental science, University of Plymouth, UK
Since first introduced 40 years ago, the description and analysis of terrestrial organic-walled microfossils other than pollen, moss and fern spores from pollen slides have enabled to further explore past environmental conditions, such as relating human activities and landscape. Many of the so called non-pollen palynomorphs have been identified and their ecological significance specified, thus providing valuable additional information to classical palaeo-ecological studies. However, the ecology of many described types is still unknown. The very nature of NPPs is multi-disciplinary. More than ever is it necessary to combine efforts of experts from a broad scale of domains to develop the NPPs' vast potential.
The objective of this session is to make a leap forward regarding our understanding of the significance of current or new palynomorphs. By comparing the occurrence of new or poorly known NPP taxa with the ecological conditions reconstructed from other proxies, multi-disciplinary studies are likely to reveal the ecological requirements of these types. During this anniversary session, we would like to emphasise such studies in order to shed new light about the ecological value of NPPs. We believe this will serve and extend the interpretation of future studies. To this aim, we welcome proposals that unveil so far unsuspected value to new or known NPPs from any taxonomical group. We encourage proposals covering large time scales within the Quaternary period, but also studies on modern assemblages.
Keywords: terrestrial, microfossils, and Quaternary
Benjamin Gearey, Department of Archaeology, University College Cork, Ireland
Suzi Richer, Archaeology and Environment, University of York, UK
Jo Dacombe, Artist/Honorary Fellow University of Leicester, UK
Palaeoecology has a long established tradition of cross- and inter-disciplinary working with particular connections to archaeology, physical geography, earth science, botany, ecology and conservation. In recent years there has been increased reflection on the connections between the visual and creative arts and the pure and applied sciences, marking a distinct attempt to consider what these often separate disciplines and practices might learn from each other (e.g. Root Bernstein et al., 2008; Wilson 2001). Such inter- and intra-disciplinarity is emerging as a major and highly productive force in contemporary research paradigms (e.g. Frodeman et al. 2010; Scheffer et al. 2015).
This session thus aims to venture into the seldom traversed terrain between the scientific practice of palaeoecology and that of the visual and other creative arts. Can we usefully begin to think about consilience between palaeoecology and these 'non-traditional' creative disciplines? How may such projects be conceived and put into practice? What are the problems, as well as the potentials, of such closer explicit connections? Themes might include (but are not limited to):
- What form of productive interfaces can be identified between palaeoecology and the arts?
- In what ways might palaeoecology itself be regarded as a creative practice?
- What is the role of the imagination in palaeoecological interpretation? How is this shaped in turn by artistic representations and processes?
- How can the visual arts and palaeoecological study be usefully or productively drawn into dialogue?
- How do artists draw inspiration from palaeoecological practices and data?
- How do artists present, imagine or interrogate ideas of past landscapes and environments interpreted from palaeoecological data through creative practice?
Frodeman, R., Klein, J.T., Mitcham, C. 2010. The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Root-Bernstein, R., Allen, L., Beach, L., Bhadula, R., Fast, J., Hosey, C., Kremkow, B., Lapp, J., Lonc, K., Pawelec, K., Podufaly, A., Russ, C., Tennant, L., Vrtis, E., Weinlander, S. Journal of Psychology and Technology 1, 2, 51-63.
Scheffer, M. et al. 2015. Dual Thinking for Scientists. Ecology and Society 3, 2.
Wilson, E.O. 2001. How to Unify Knowledge. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 935, 12-17.
Keywords: arts, inter-disciplinary and palaeoecological


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Automotive Collision Repair
The Automotive Collision Repair program is designed to educate and train persons to become qualified to repair damaged vehicles. Students enrolled in this program are provided with theory and hands-on experiences pertaining to personal safety rules and procedures, structural metal straightening, non-structural metal repair, paint and refinishing, welding, plastic repairs and vehicle estimating.
Program Details: View more information in the catalog.
Program Contact
Jon Beckham
Program Coordinator/Instructor

subset: commoncrawl


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Next up would have to be toast, with or without embellishment of any kind; my persona fixation is marmalade just now. Toast had been on my mind since I spent a couple of hours indulging in comfort-blanket that it the Edward Ardizone exhibition at the House of Illustration a couple of weeks ago. Fans will know that he created the feisty Diana who boldly rescued a poorly rhinoceros by plying him with a great deal of toast while he settled down in front of a fire in the front room, an inspired piece of nursing if ever there was one. It should be on prescription for the downhearted.
And if toast doesn't do the trick, you could always try a cream tea, preferably homemade. Sitting alone in the cafe at the V&A after a Brief History of Underwear I counted my uncorseted blessings and imitated a heroine from a Barbara Pym novel, though the portion may not have been quite so ladylike. I know it doesn't seem like sensible, or even healthy, cold weather food, but at least it's a reminder of sunny days. And if that doesn't do the trick, a square of 85% chocolate might help. Or a trip to Smitten Kitchen, a brilliant post which ends with a very sensible next step.
Anybodyseeking a bit of comfort?


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FIORE - Flower Journal Medium
|4 1/8" x 6" x 1" (including accent)
Gianni's leather miniature accessories are hand-crafted in Italy using premium vegetable-tanned Vacchetta leather and innovative applications of ancient stitching techniques. His unique designs are sure to bring a smile to gift recipients of all ages. The leather says "Eternally Classy", the inventive designs say "Unique", and the Italian origin says "Only the Best"!
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(Item: IT-GI-NA579)
This stylish leather flower journal comes with a convenient elastic closure to keep itself tightly closed when not in use. It will also help protect your deepest thoughts from nosy prying eyes when you're not around! The flower-accent adds a lot of charm and personality to this journal.
Make writing fun again!
72 unlined sheets (144 pages).
There are no customer reviews for this product. If you bought this product, be the first to write a review!


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20th and 21st Century Literature
Research at Lancaster into 20th and 21st century literature brings together a large group of colleagues with a rich mix of specialisms.
Our many strengths include: literary theory, an area underpinned by Terry Eagleton's open seminars and lectures and the Northern Theory School; world literature, an area enriched by the Centre for Transcultural Writing and Research; and location, an area led by the Landscape and Writing Seminar. Other areas of strength and indeed innovation include: religion, science fiction, adaptation, film, pop culture, modernism, sleep, and post-criticism or critical-creative writing.
Staff working on twentieth and twenty-first century literature include: Brian Baker, Arthur Bradley, Terry Eagleton, Kamilla Elliott, Michael Greaney, Hilary Hinds, Lindsey Moore, Lynne Pearce, Tony Pinkney, John Schad, Tony Sharpe, Catherine Spooner, and Andrew Tate.


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Our selection for the ICP's 10 x 10 American Photobooks project is representative of the sort of artists' books that we focus on at 6 Decades Books. In each of these titles, the artist has used photographic imagery in the process of making a book which is itself an artwork, not a book where the main point is to reproduce a series of individual images. These are all compelling photobooks, but in several cases the artists who made them are not generally thought of as photographers, or the photographic content consists primarily of pre-existing, or anonymous images. Mike Kelley and Paul Schiek, whose titles are the chronological bookends of the list, both created their works by editing and curating images, rather than making new ones. It is not great photography that interests me so much as the way an artist engages with the book as a medium, using the form to shape content and convey an artistic vision so that the book as a whole communicates in a way that no single image could.
Mike Kelley. The Uncanny. (Sonsbeek, 1993).
[link to Kelley's essay: Playing With Dead Things]
Ryan McGinley. Black Jack. (Self-published, 2007).
Ryan McGinley. Black Jack. (Self-published, 2007).
Jason Polan. The Land Can Handle It. (Parts & Labor, 2012).
Roe Ethridge. Spare Bedroom. (Self-published, 2004).
Jeff Brouws. Twentysix Abandoned Gasoline Stations. (Self-published, 1992)
Shannon Ebner. Signature. (Wallspace, 2008).
Sam Falls. Paint Paper Palms. (Dashwood, 2011).
Shannon Ebner. Signature. (Wallspace, 2008).
Sam Falls. Paint Paper Palms. (Dashwood, 2011).
Wade Guyton. Zeichnungen für ein kleines Zimmer. (Walther König, 2011).
Paul Schiek. Dead Men Don't Look Like Me. (TBW, 2012).
Carrie Mae Weems. And 22 Million Very Tired & Very Angry People. (San Francisco Art Institute / Carrie Mae Weems, 1992).


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Win a Studio; iPad and iPhone Kung Fu; The Coding Dojo Handbook
On this day in 1869, the Cardiff giant was "discovered." It was a hoax, of course, one of the most famous hoaxes in U.S. history. No hoaxes here, just two new great books and another giveaway.
This week we're pleased to announce iPad and iPhone Kung Fu, 300 tips to help you make the most of your Apple devices, now in beta from pragprog.com/book/ktios.
Also this week, The Coding Dojo Handbook, featuring Code Katas for you and your team, now available from pragprog.com/book/ebdojo.
Looking for tips to jump into functional programming? Have a look at this Q&A with Michael Bevilacqua-Linn at pragprog.com/book/mbfpp.
More details on the new books in just a second, but first, some anniversary news.
Win an Online Pragmatic Studio Course
This week you can win an online course from the Pragmatic Studio: your choice of Ruby, or Ruby on Rails. Just sign up for the Pragmatic Studio's newsletter at pragmaticstudio.com/notify.
Void where prohibited, immoral or fattening. No purchase necessary to win, but hey, we've had some great books come out over the last few weeks you might want to check out.
Last Week's Winner
And please extend a round of virtual applause to last week's winner of a full Pragmatic Bookshelf PLUS a hand-signed copy of The Pragmatic Programmer:
Joseph Hallett, Bristol, UK.
iPad and iPhone Kung Fu: Tips, Tricks, Hints, and Hacks for iOS 7
Apple changed the world with the iPhone and iPad. But while Apple's impeccable design and attention to detail makes using the devices easy, getting the very most from the software takes time and effort. iPad and iPhone Kung Fu picks up where instruction manuals finish and wastes no time turning you into an expert.
Whether it's browsing the web with Safari, emailing with Mail, photographing with the Camera app, sharing on Facebook or Twitter, reading and learning with iBooks, or navigating with Maps, this book digs down into the nitty-gritty of the operating system and its apps. You'll find the juiciest and most astonishing time-savers and labor-saving tricks for iOS 7.
But the iPad and iPhone aren't just about content consumption. Learn tricks for using Apple's iWork applications to edit and create documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. Find tips for using GarageBand to make tunes, and hints for how iMovie can create your latest blockbuster. You'll discover the secrets of Apple's iPhoto image editing app, too.
This is the premier companion for your Apple adventure, and the only book you need.
Now available in beta from pragprog.com/book/ktios.
The Coding Dojo Handbook
This book is full of practical advice and ideas for practicing skills such as test-driven development, refactoring, and pair programming. Perhaps you're a team lead, and you'd like to promote good practices among your team colleagues. Maybe you lead a programming language user group and you're looking for a fun hands-on activity to do at meetings, or are planning a brown bag lunch series at work. This book gives you all the advice you need to get your own group started.
Included is a catalogue of "Kata" coding exercises that you can try, and advice about how to choose one for your particular situation. You'll learn various collaborative coding games, which can be a fun way to introduce a serious discussion about software design or development processes. Test-driven development is one of the key skills you'll want to practice in the Coding Dojo, so there's also a straightforward description of TDD you can use to explain it. Throughout the book are little "Dojo Disaster" anecdotes. They illustrate when things have gone less than perfectly, and how you can avoid such mistakes.
A dojo is a fun and rewarding activity for any bunch of coders!
This book was written and produced entirely by the author. We are proud to be distributing it.
Now available from pragprog.com/book/ebdojo.
Did You Know?
We publish books across a range of technologies for folks at different levels of abilities, all the way from novice to expert. If you haven't browsed all of our titles recently, come take a look:
Agile Practices • Android, iPhone, and Mobile Programming • Career Development • Cool Things for Smart People • DIY & Hardware • For Beginners • Gaming • Java and JVM Languages • Mac, iPhone, and iPad Programming • Pragmatic exPress • Ruby and Rails • Testing, Design, and Cloud Computing • Tools, Frameworks, Languages • Web 2.0+
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As long as the Galaxy S9 and S9+ are technically not out, Samsung might as well try to build even more buzz around the fast-approaching Unpacked event in Barcelona. Enter a fresh trio of short videos previewing some of the things the chaebol is likely to highlight at its pre-MWC February 25 press conference.
The three 15-second clips are up on the company's Mobile Korea YouTube channel, and although they come with no text or narration, they're still pretty self-explanatory. One of them appears to focus on speed, another does a great job teasing top-notch low-light camera performance, while the third and last one essentially confirms Samsung's Animoji-challenging efforts.
3D Emoji features, or however Samsung's animated emojis may be called, are definitely coming with support for a wide range of facial expressions, movements and emotions. The primary shooter on the back of both the S9 and S9 Plus should offer variable f/1.5 – f/2.4 aperture, with the former value no doubt capable of producing exceptionally crisp night shots.
As for the speed part of the Galaxy S9 improvement equation over last year's already snappy S8 and S8+, we coincidentally have a new benchmark to share with you today as well. This further confirms the S9+, aka SM-G9650, will provide 6GB RAM in combination with a Snapdragon 845 processor, a super-high-end configuration awarded a total of over 265,000 AnTuTu points.
That's significantly speedier than any of the world's existing phones, at least on paper, and Android 8.0 Oreo also plays its part. As does an 18:9 screen listed with native 2220 x 1080 pixel resolution, which you'll obviously be able to elevate to a maximum of 2960 x 1440 pixels.


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Recently discovered fossils from Tbilisi, Georgia, may rewrite the prevailing evolutionary ideas about human origins. While scientists once believed that Homo erectus (a supposed ancestor of Homo sapiens) migrated out of Africa nearly a million years ago, these new skulls, jawbones, and limb bones show "far more primitive-looking" humans who populated Eurasia much earlier—around 1.8 million years ago by secular dating methods.
"There was a very early migration out of Africa of a group of human-like 'hominins.'"
What this means, according to Steve O'Conner of the Independent, is that
there was a very early migration out of Africa of a group of human-like "hominins", who may have spent a long interlude in Eurasia before migrating back into Africa, where they contributed to the further evolution of the Homo genus—the family of man.
In other words, the old ideas about humans evolving in Africa and then spreading out are becoming more and more unlikely. The new view is that "hominins" left Africa, evolved, and came back at least once.
For creationists, there are several interesting aspects of this discovery—once we move beyond the presuppositions. First, we should point out that these humans are classified as "primitive" because of their small stature: 1.44–1.5 meters tall (a little under 5 feet); their smaller brain volume: 600cc (compared to an average of 1000–1450cc in most modern people); and "archaic" upper limbs, a statement which is not explained in the article. However, even the researchers concede that these ancients in Tbilisi used stone tools and showed quite modern morphology.
This is a subtle form of racism against humans living in the past.
Astute readers will notice that what these scientists call primitive does not preclude the fact that this population was fully human. While their brains may have had a lower capacity than the known range for most humans living in the present, their use of stone tools and hints of human culture (e.g., caring for an individual with no teeth) suggest a fully human social atmosphere. A smaller average brain volume is not an indicator of a deficiency in intelligence, since we could just as easily point out that Neanderthals had a larger brain on average than most people today. Rather, this new find simply shows that the range of human brain volume was much greater in the past than it is now. Or, conversely, factors such as nutritional deficiencies (e.g., iodine) and genetic disorders could also explain the reduced capacity and height.
The so-called hobbits of Indonesia were small in stature and have also been targeted by claims of being less than human. They had a brain the size of a grapefruit, but made sophisticated tools just like Homo sapiens did. However, because of differences in wrist bones and brain capacity, they are demoted to a more "primitive" state. This is a convenient story for evolutionists, who need past "hominins" to be less humanlike to show that evolution has made modern humanity the "pinnacle" of history.
In many ways, this is a subtle form of racism against humans living in the past. Because they don't look exactly like humans today, these scientists make them out to be sub-human, the same way Ota Benga was considered a sideshow oddity. But just like Ota Benga, these individuals in Tbilisi—and the hobbits—were no less human than those reading this article. Different does not mean lesser.
For more information:
Remember, if you see a news story that might merit some attention, let us know about it! (Note: if the story originates from the Associated Press, Fox News, MSNBC, the New York Times, or another major national media outlet, we will most likely have already heard about it.) And thanks to all of our readers who have submitted great news tips to us.
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Give the Gift of a Good Scare for Valentine's Day
When it comes to Valentine's Day, it seems like there isn't much for fans of the macabre. This is a time for love and soft squishy teddy bears, not death and gore, isn't it? Well, we decided to change the narrative. We let our phones die and went alone into the dark basement of the internet. What we found there was horrifying — and that's perfect!
We dragged ourselves screaming out of a pit covered in blood to deliver these five perfect gifts to you (okay, okay, that's a bit melodramatic, but you get the sentiment). We want your horror fan to be happy — let our sacrifice help you make it out of Valentine's Day alive. Mwahahaha!
A Murderously Good Bath Mat
If there isn't enough blood in your valentine's life, we found a way to add a little more to their daily routine. Like some of our favorite horror flicks, this bath mat is secretly scary. At first glance, it appears to be just a white mat, but it hides a bloody secret that can only be revealed with water. The best way to give this gift? Put it down in the bathroom and wait. Let your love's screams of horror be all the thanks you need.
Buy for $15
An Eye Popping Bit of Spice
You know what they say: nothing says love like stuffing salt and pepper shakers into the disembodied eye sockets of a dead zombie. Your valentine can yank out one of these bad boys any time they need to add a little extra kick to their cooking.
Buy for $16
Their Theme Song on a Shirt
This shirt lets everyone know your love soundtrack. Enough said.
Buy for $12
Some Pillow-normal Activity
We're sure your favorite horror fan lives in a haunted house – why wouldn't they? Ghosts are pesky, though – they don't show up whenever you want them to, and they don't show up to prove their existence to investigators (the jerks). This pillow gives all the spookiness of a haunting to your lover's couch – without all that pesky chair stacking and whatnot. Just set it up and wait for your valentine to scream — with delight.
Buy for $20
A Pair of Ghoulish Goblets
Sometimes you just want to kick back with your favorite horror fan and enjoy a nice glass of blood…er, we mean wine. These goblets are perfect for that spooky movie marathon you have planned for this weekend. Clink your glasses nec-romanticly and enjoy your sweetie's delight at your devilishly good gift.


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V Motion Project Revolutionizes VJing
Utilizing laser tracking technology through two Kinect devices, The V-Motion project from New Zealand captures each movement and action of the performer and ties these to sound generators or effects in Ableton Live. It took a very very dedicated and diverse team of technological wizards to build this program from concept to crazy cool. Even better, this technology is currently Generation 1 (if even attaining that level), so imagine how this might look in a few years' time.
Okay, so it's beyond cool. Especially when you consider that this is how it all began:
On an interesting side note, the client for this project was New Zealand soft-beverage manufacturer Frucor. Who'dve guessed.
For a fascinating discussion from the project leads on their own experiences creating this technology, check out the following articles:


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Are you ready to get your holiday shopping done early!
Join us Saturday, December 16th & Sunday, December 17th from 10 am to 6 pm.
Every year, we generate a LOT of items that we can't sell at full price because of glazing and firing issues which we will be selling at deeply discounted prices. These items are still functional, beautiful pottery pieces but a little too unique for our main line of work. Come by and find that special one of a kind item for your or a friend's home collection!
Our studio is located at 5809 Burnet Road, Austin, TX 78756.
We are directly behind the Austin Pets Alive Thrift store. Parking is available on the front and side of our building with overflow parking available in the Walgreens parking lot.


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Welcome to my Daily Inspiration - Daily Quote. See today's daily inspirational quotes below.
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
May the world be kind to you, and may your own thoughts be gentle upon yourself. - Jonathan Lockwood Huie
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Monday, January 26, 2015
Your Intuition is Your Guide
Listen to the compass of your heart.
All you need lies within you.
- Mary Anne Radmacher
Intuition will tell the thinking mind where to look next.
- Jonas Salk
Your inner knowing is your only true compass.
- Joy Page
Everyone who wills, can hear the inner voice.
It is within everyone.
- Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi
Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition -
they somehow already know what you truly want to become.
- Steve Jobs
You have to leave the city of your comfort
and go into the wilderness of your intuition.
What you'll discover will be wonderful.
What you'll discover is yourself.
- Alan Alda
Further reading: Choose to Follow Your Heart
How to Be Yourself
The Beat of the Universe
Need For Approval
Your Heart's Longing
The important differences between self esteem and self confidence
Posted by Jonathan Lockwood Huie
Labels: Alan Alda, compass, discovery, follow your heart, heart, inner knowing, inner voice, intuition, Jonas Salk, Joy Page, mary anne radmacher, Mohandas Gandhi, Steve Jobs
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Professor Jolyon Mitchell has focused on the biblical and practical theme of 'swords into ploughshares' for his inaugural lecture in taking up a new personal chair at the University of Edinburgh.
A packed audience of more than 300 people heard Professor Mitchell tackle the topical and historical issue of how communities involved with or affected by war can transform weapons of violence into tools of peace.
The lively audio-visual presentation at Assembly Hall, New College, in Scotland's capital on 15 September 2011, was followed by a reception in the Rainy Hall. The event marked the inauguration of the Chair of Communications, Arts and Religion within the University's College of Humanities and Social Science as well as the beginning of a new semester. It was hosted by the Faculty of Divinity.
Professor Mitchell traced three significant shifts in response to his chosen topic - ploughshares into swords, arms into art, and swords into ploughshares. He illustrated his talk with many visual and musical references, historical and contemporary, and with reference to the textual work of Dr Hugh Williamson on its biblical origins.
In ancient traditions agricultural implements have been used as weapons, he pointed out, as well as in recent conflicts such as the terrible genocide in Rwanda, which saw more than a million people slaughtered in 100 days.
This dynamic is reflected in a less-quoted Hebrew / Old Testament text in Joel 3.10, which has been picked up by more belligerent Christian radio preachers in the USA and elsewhere.
But even more remarkable, he suggested, is the innovative transformation in the opposite direction, from swords into ploughshares - reflected most famously in Isaiah 2.4, and in many examples of modern art, not least the remarkable sculpture by Soviet artist Evgeniy Vuchetich donated to the United Nations headquarters building in New York to represent the human wish to end all wars by converting the means of death and destruction into those of peaceful co-existence.
While 'swords into ploughshares' has almost become a cliche in the modern world, and among those working for peace and conflict transformation, its origins and continuation as an image challenge us to go deeper in the search for alternatives to war, not least when confronted with the awful realities of situations like Rwanda, where the failure of the international community to act allowed mass crimes to be committed.
Professor Mitchell gave particular attention to initiatives in Mozambique, Cambodia, Iraq, the USA and beyond, where guns and other war goods had been physically turned into art and used to raise funds for development and awareness of the connections between militarisation, injustice and poverty.
At one point in his lecture he asked how the Dutch painter Pieter Bruegel might have applied his artistic critique to the current DSEi London arms fair.
He also looked at the extension of the literary and visual metaphor via the 'swords into ploughshares' protest patch sewn onto garments by those objecting to the authoritarian policies of the old GDR, includings its introduction of compulsory military studies for 14-16-year-olds in the East German school system, which produced an alternative peace teaching initiative from the churches each November.
Professor Mitchell pointed out that transformations from the tools of conflict also needed to happen in relation to urban violence, such as gun and knife crime, and domestic abuse.
He described his innovative inaugural lecture, which combined academic research and learning with a highly accessible style, as an invitation to further debate and conversation.
Professor Jolyon Mitchell's research and teaching focuses on peacebuilding, violence and communications; film, religion and ethics; media, religion and culture; media ethics, and theology, history and the arts,
Educated at Cambridge, Durham, and Edinburgh Universities, Professor Mitchell has worked as a producer and journalist for BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4 before he was appointed as Director of the Centre for Theology and Public Issues at the University of Edinburgh.
In that capacity he directs a number of research projects and helps to host a wide range of public lectures and events - work which will be continued as Professorial Chair of Communications, Arts and Religion.
* More on Jolyon Mitchell: http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/divinity/staff-profiles/mitchell


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We develop customized Web apps that draw visitors to your site and increase brand enthusiasm.
In case you've forgotten, doing business online should be simple, fun and exciting. New technologies and mobile applications have completely changed and enhanced most users' online experience. At Cambium Group, we utilize and combine the latest interactive technologies with a wide range of digital media to increase customer enthusiasm for your brand, as well as draw new visitors to your site...over and over again. Our customized apps include viral videos, interactive games, user-to-product customizers, plus mobile apps that expand brand awareness and increase brand enthusiasm. By merging technical innovation with results-driven strategies, we keep your site - and brand - fresh and exciting. And yes, there's definitely an app for that.
At Cambium Group, we utilize and combine the latest interactive technologies with a wide range of digital media to increase customer enthusiasm for your brand, as well as draw new visitors to your site...over and over again.
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Cambium will guide you to choose the most appropriate website design for your business, whether Responsive Web Design (RWD) or a dynamic, database driven website design for desktop and mobile. We combine high end design elements with easy-to-use navigation.
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Round out your web site design with our SEO services to place your site at the top of the search engines by implementing a solid, formulated search engine marketing plan. Ask us what SEO can do for your website and your company.
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If you want to refresh your current email campaigns, or if you're ready to create a new email marketing plan, we can provide the designs, tools, management and tracking that get results.
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Whistler kids are busy, with many of them involved in several sports and activities at any one time.
To make it easier for parents to register their children for different groups, Kidsport Whistler is once again hosting the Strut Your Stuff Community Registration and Information Fair this Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Different groups can book tables at Strut Your Stuff, and parents can sign up their children for almost anything in one place at one time.
The list of participating organizations at press time includes:
RMOW Parks and Recreation; Kidsport Whistler; Whistler Gymnastics; Whistler Guiding Guides, Brownies and Pathfinders; Whistler Youth Soccer; Whistler Scouting; Whistler Dance Academy; Whistler Minor Hockey; Brad Higgs Soccer Camp; Whistler Mountain Ski Club; Whistler Nordics and Youth Jackrabbit Cross Country Club; Whistler Childrens Choir; Sea to Sky Youth Basketball; Whistler Skating Club; WhistlerWay Commuter Challenge; Debbie Vidas Dance; Whistler Racquet and Tennis Club; and Tandem Music.
Other groups are expected to sign on, and community organizations are welcome right up until the start of the fair on Saturday, Sept. 6 at Whistler Secondary. To book a table, contact Meadow Park Sport Centre at 604-935-8378.
Strut Your Stuff also provides kids and parents with an opportunity to meet with coaches and many participating groups will be putting on interactive displays so that kids can try different activities.
In addition, Whistler Minor Hockey and the Whistler Skating Club will be hosting a used equipment sale. Items should be priced and brought in by 9 a.m.
Kidsport Whistler is a non-profit group that assists parents and children on limited budgets to participate in different sports by helping them with the cost of registration and equipment. Application forms for Kidsport grants are available at the fair. Kidsport is sponsored by the Whistler-Blackcomb Foundation.
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It's a Sunday evening in my dorm room, and my roommate just left to go out. She kissed me on the head and asked if I was okay before she left. All I could do to not burst out in tears was nod my head in response and stare at my computer screen. She could see the look in my eyes that things weren't alright. Once that door shut the tears poured out.
I have these moments, as I am sure many people who have experienced death do. Sometimes they are triggered by a date or an event and sometimes they pop up out of nowhere. This moment was the result of a passing thought of thirteen days until two years. I said that to myself after looking at my calendar and seeing how close I was to the two-year anniversary of my father's death. In the beginning I always thought that this was supposed to be the magical countdown where everything will suddenly be better after that date had passed. At least that's what the books always told me. When my father died I spent days in Barnes and Noble reading book after book about grief and how I was supposed to feel. I had experienced death before but not something like the death of a parent and I wanted to know what to expect and how to deal with it. I spent more time reading about grief then actually grieving.
It took some time for me to put down my books and allow my own grief to do its work. But getting there was difficult. Months following my father's death I acted as if nothing was wrong because I felt like the world moved on without me and I had to keep up. I was afraid of what would happen if I let my guard down and stopped blocking everything out. I felt like I couldn't afford to cry in the middle of the day at school. With those feelings came the analyzing of my grief, I questioned when the anger stage would show up, or the depression and how to hide it. I spent so much time focused on how I thought I was supposed to feel instead of really letting myself feel. I now know, twenty-three and a half months later that it was the unknown that I was afraid of. The death of a loved one, such as a parent comes with state of mind that can never be explained on paper, let alone explained at all. And here I was, so afraid of what I didn't know that I attached my feelings to chapters and referenced my thoughts in the index.
Months ago, if someone had asked me how I felt about how I dealt with my father's death I would say: terrible, I did it in all the wrong ways. But now, when I look back, I realize that, that was how I grieved. There is no right or wrong way to grieve; one does what makes them most comfortable at the moment. And I was doing what I knew best, avoiding and staying busy. Grief is such an undefined thing and when one tries to label the "stages of grief" or tell someone that they should be over it by now, they are wrong. Grief if individualized to each person that experiences it. Just like how I experienced it in the beginning, I am experiencing it now with my "moments." I am still avoiding it by waiting until I'm in a private place, but I have now begun to let myself feel what I need to feel. There is a quote from the book The Wild Palms by William Faulkner that I keep close to my heart. It reads, "Between grief and nothing, I will take grief." Yes, I bought the books because I thought I felt nothing and wanted something else to tell me what to do. But now I know that I was grieving all along, and I still am. March 31st will come and go and I will still grieve my father's passing in my own way. There is no magic date where it all becomes better, and there are no books that will tell you exactly what to expect. There is a reason things like this don't come with a handbook. We are meant to learn from and embrace our grief, not look for an easy way out because it's too hard. We experience it in a way that is necessary and adapted to ourselves; our emotions may throw us a curve ball once and awhile but nothing that we aren't meant to handle at some point in our lives.
Special thanks to guest author, HelloGrief community member, and Comfort Zone Camper Samantha Worman for sharing her story with us.


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River Hydrology
River Hydrology
the branch of land hydrology that studies rivers, runoff processes, and detrital processes in river channels and basins. River hydrology studies the position of river channels in plan (river meandering), the shape of transverse and longitudinal profiles, and the effect of climate, forest cover, agricultural technology, and hydraulic improvements on discharge. Other phenomena studied include the relationship between discharge and precipitation and evaporation, the process by which rivers are fed, the water and heat balance of basins, the thermal regime of rivers and basins, and ice phenomena. River hydrology also works to predict the hydrologic regime of rivers, that is, to make hydrologic forecasts.
REFERENCESApollov, B. A. Uchenie o rekakh. Moscow, 1963.
Velikanov, M. A. Gidrologiia sushi, 5th ed. Leningrad, 1964.


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Placebo and Placebo Effect
A placebo is an inactive substance, such as a pill, liquid, etc, that is given as if it was a therapeutic treatment, but which actually has no therapeutic value other than the "placebo effect."
The placebo effect is also sometimes called the "subject-expectancy effect." It is the phenomenon that symptoms can be alleviated by an otherwise ineffective treatment, since the patient expects or believes that it will work. Some people believe the placebo effect to be a remarkable aspect of human physiology, while others consider it to be an illusion arising from the way medical experiments were conducted. The phenomenon is not fully understood by science, but there has been clinical evidence of its presence.
Conversely, a patient who does not believe in a treatment may experience worsening of symptoms. This is called the "nocebo effect" and can be measured in the same way as the placebo effect. The patients receiving the placebo may nullify this effect by simply having a negative attitude toward the efficacy of the substance administered, which often leads to the nocebo effect. This outcome isn't caused by the substance itself, but by the patient's mentality toward his or her ability to get well.
Placebos were originally a substance that a well-meaning doctor would give to a patient, telling them it was a powerful drug when in actuality it was nothing more than a sugar pill. The subsequent reduction of the patient's symptoms was attributed to their belief in the drug.
Placebos are not active themselves, but a patient may experience clinical effects while taking one. When a placebo is given to mimic a previously administered drug, the patient may experience the same side effects. Most of these are thought to be psychological in nature or due to other unrelated factors. A placebo involving ingestion, injection, or incision is often more powerful than a non-invasive technique. As well, placebos given by authority figures such as doctors and other experts may also have a more powerful effect.
Researchers normally use placebos in clinical trials, with a "test group" of patients receiving whatever therapy is being tested, and a "control group" receiving a placebo. It can then be determined if the results of the "test" group exceed those due to the placebo effect. If it does, it can be assumed the actual treatment was effective. If a therapy or medicine has no effect beyond the placebo, then it is said to have no effect or efficacy beyond non-specific effects.
Placebos cannot always be applied in studies because some drugs have clear physiological effects, and as such, a sugar pill would not be an effective placebo in these instances. In such cases, it is necessary to use a psychoactive placebo, i.e., a drug that produces enough physical side effects to be believed as the active drug.
Bioethicists have raised concerns about the use of placebos. Much of these have been incorporated into modern rules governing the use of such substances in research but some issues remain subject to debate.


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In life, your car will get dented. It's inevitable, even if you are the most careful person. There are all kinds of rocks, balls, and branches out there and one of them is bound to hit your car. In the case that your car is dented, naturally you want to have it fixed. A dent affects the appearance of your car and the performance in some severe cases. There are all different types and sizes of dents and different repair options. One option is paintless dent repair, which can save you time and money. If your dent has no chips or cracks in the paint, the dent can be massaged out with specialty tools.
With Sameday's highly trained technicians and specialty tools, we can reshape the metal by massaging the dent out, restoring the dented area to factory condition.


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The third installment of the series finds Harry Potter in great danger. Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban -- the wizard prison that no one has ever escaped from -- and is coming after Harry. Although everyone is very worried about Harry's safety, he's more worried about being confined to the castle and winning the Quidditch Cup; that is, until he learns the truth about why Black went to prison in the first place. To make matters worse, every time Harry crosses a dementor -- the terrible soul-sucking creatures placed around the castle for the school's protection -- he relives his worst memory: his mother screaming as Voldemort murders her.
The taunt about his father rang in Harry's ears as though Black had bellowed it. A boiling hate erupted in Harry's chest, leaving no place for fear. For the first time in his life, he wanted his wand back in his hand, not to defend himself, but to attack--to kill.
Another great Harry Potter adventure... I am enjoying this way too much. This is the first book that the film was a significant departure from. When new director Alfonso Cuaron stepped in, he had never read a Harry Potter book before. For the most part, this one isn't a huge difference. There were just a couple things about the film that bothered me -- namely that in the beginning, Harry is practicing spells in his bedroom. Anyone who read any of the books would realize this is ridiculous -- underage wizards aren't allowed to practice magic during summer holidays, and every time Harry accidentally has, he's been terrified of (and been threatened with) being expelled. He would never practice just for fun.
But anyway, about the book. Once again, I love how Rowling jumps right into Big Issues, even though it's "just a kids' book." The trio learns the typical lesson about Friendship (friends are more important than silly fights), but also Big Lessons about Revenge and Betrayal. That's cool to me.
As much as I love Professor Dumbledore, his character annoys me sometimes. He's supposed to be so smart and all-knowing, and yet he still never seems to be able to help Harry with his troubles until afterwards, when he comes in for the feel-good one-liners. He always contributes the Moral of the Story in the final chapter. And then he's always speaking in riddles. When two lives are on the line and he gives Harry and Hermione instructions for saving them, he doesn't just outright tell them, leaving the kids to figure it out when they're already tight on time. Though I guess with more interference from him, there wouldn't be much of a story.