It does not get more awesome. This is probably the only way I would watch this movie.
Thanks to JK for sending me the image and to Frank for the tag line ;)
Posted by ReBecca Hunt-Foster at 10:23 PM 7 comments: Labels: Awesome, Dromaeosauridae, raptors, Twighlight

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!! Happy thanksgiving everyone!
I saw these feathered dino-ancestors at my grandparents house in Oklahoma last year.
Posted by ReBecca Hunt-Foster at 10:53 PM 4 comments: Matt Bonnan discusses Aardonyx

This video is a short clip of Dr. Matt Bonnan of Wester Illinois University discussing Aardonyx, his research interest, and how he became involved with the project, which was funded by the National Geographic Society. One of Dr. Bonnan's research interest involves the morphology and mechanics of sauropod dinosaur forelimbs. He explains how Aardonyx had the adaptation of interlocking forearm bones that would reinforce the forelimb and prevent the weight-bearing hand from twisting. Since the earliest dinosaurs were bipeds (walking on their hindlimbs), it is interesting to Dr. Bonnan (and others) that even during the early Jurassic sauropods were reversing this trend, and becoming quadrupeds (walking on all fours) to better distribute their weight. This is why the interlocking forearm is very important.
You can read more about Dr. Bonnan's work on this project here. Thanks to Ville of Dots in Deep Time for the heads up on this video.
I also found this short video with Dr. Adam Yates (of the blog Dracovenator), who is the first author on the paper*, discussing Aardonyx.
*Yates, A. M., Bonnan, M. F., Neveling, J., Chinsamy, A. and Blackbeard, M. G. 2009. A new transitional sauropodomorph dinosaur from the Early Jurassic of South Africa and the evolution of sauropod feeding and quadrupedalism. Proc. R. Soc. B doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1440
Posted by ReBecca Hunt-Foster at 1:00 AM No comments: Labels: Aardonyx, Adam Yates, Matt Bonnan, quadrupedalism, sauropods, South Africa

Guest Post: Michigan State University to close Geological Sciences Department

An update on the Michigan State University plan to close the Geological Sciences Department, by guest blogger Dr. Chris Noto:

On November 11, the Provost acted on the Dean's recommendation to close the Department of Geological Sciences by forwarding his recommendation to the Board of Trustees. The Board sent it to academic governance, which is mainly procedural. The Board, sometime in the future, perhaps as early as Dec. 11, will vote on the closing.

After consulting with alumni and others a plan was presented to the Dean in which the alumni would endow two chairs, and that with potential retirements and other opportunities, the Department could be revitalized into a successful program. This proposal was roundly rejected. The Dean countered by stating that the whole department would have to run on endowments of no less that 50 million dollars.

Another factor is that the University has a long-term history in not investing in Geology, so there is no initial or continuing investment in laboratories or equipment. This, of course, has a negative effect on the recruitment of faculty who can get grants. This is in striking contrast to the University's investments in facilities for Chemistry, Physics and Biological Sciences to which they are regularly compared. The school just spent $40 million remodeling the Chemistry building, however has done little for Geology's facilities in the past. This long-term disinvestment has hurt the department's abilities to recruit and keep faculty and obtain large grants.

The decision to close Geological Sciences at MSU reflects a long-term disinterest, at times hostile, attitude towards the geosciences by the administration. The school is punishing the department for decisions the admin itself put into motion long ago. The inability to cite specific reasons for the closure as well as the claim that only $50 million could save the department shows where the priorities of the administration lay. Sadly, this story has been seen before and will likely occur again.

Christopher R. Noto, Ph.D

Posted by ReBecca Hunt-Foster at 1:00 PM 2 comments: Rock star of the week: Vanessa Bateman

*(Please read my previous post if you have not yet)* As I am sure many of you have, I have watched the video of the rockslide on U.S. Highway 64 in Tennessee over and over. It is just awesome to watch. I was super excited when I found this link that has a video (different from the one below) telling more details on the slide and how a geologist saved the day!! How awesome is that! A Geologist!! Rock on! And I was even more excited to find out it was not just a geologist, but a chick geologist - Vanessa Bateman! Ms. (Dr.?) Bateman is the Manager of the Geotechnical Section for the Tennessee Department of Transportation's (TDOT) Nashville Office (link, pictured right). She noticed that the slope (reported in the news video to be granite) along the Ocoee Gorge was going to break away (and not surprising, did you see that outcrop!), and was able to warn others to vacate the area. Less than an hours earlier reporters and construction workers with heavy equipment were in the spot where the second slide would occur. It must have been so cool to see (and probably somewhat freaky and scary!). I should add that I am really glad no one was hurt!
So, way to go Vanessa!! Awesome to save lives while also playing with rocks (and showing that there are some awesome chick geologist out there doing cool things)!

Another video link.
And another link.
And one more of the destruction.
And over and over and over here on CNN
And it reminds me of this (sort of, in coolness factor):
What is your favorite mass wasting event? Someone needs to start a blog of things like this.
(PS - I hate for this post to bump the post below, so please read it if you have not yet!)
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