Mexico's Fossil Vertebrate Record: An Analytical Overview

An Analytical Approach for Estimating Fossil Record and Diversification Events in Sharks, Skates and Rays

BACKGROUND Modern selachians and their supposed sister group (hybodont sharks) have a long and successful evolutionary history. Yet, although selachian remains are considered relatively common in the fossil record in comparison with other marine vertebrates, little is known about the quality of their fossil record. Similarly, only a few works based on specific time intervals have attempted to i...

Fossil embryos deep in the fossil record

Embryos have been found in ‘old’ rocks on four continents, especially in Siberia, Nevada, Australia and China. They have been discovered in sedimentary rocks of even Late Neoproterozoic age, assuming the evolutionary geological column1 (figure 1). The Neoproterozoic is the period, so called, between 1 billion and 550 million years ago. This discovery was in the Doushantuo Formation, Guizhou Pro...

The Primate Fossil Record

Biodesulfurization of Fossil Fuels- an Overview

Since the industrial revolution mankind has been dependent on fossil hydrocarbon fuel for a very large proportion of total energy needs. Many of the fluid forms also had lower sulphur content than coal and were therefore more attractive from the environmental impact standpoint. Combustion of sulfur-containing compounds in fossil fuels emits sulfur oxides, which can cause adverse effects on heal...

Decay of vertebrate characters in hagfish and lamprey (Cyclostomata) and the implications for the vertebrate fossil record.

The timing and sequence of events underlying the origin and early evolution of vertebrates remains poorly understood. The palaeontological evidence should shed light on these issues, but difficulties in interpretation of the non-biomineralized fossil record make this problematic. Here we present an experimental analysis of decay of vertebrate characters based on the extant jawless vertebrates (...