Month: March 2024
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ESCONI Events April 2024
Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings! Fri, Apr 12th ESCONI General Meeting 8:00 PM – Topic: “Ice age mammals from the frozen North” by Yukon Paleontologist Grant Zazula Zoom link Sat, Apr 13th ESCONI Junior Meeting – 6:30 PM at College of DuPage – Topic: Mazon Creek fauna (animals) Specifics…
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A Swimming Dinosaur? Maybe Not, Study Says
The New York Times has an interesting article about Spinosaurus. Was Spinosaurus a swimming dinosaur? That question is controversial in the world of dinosaur paleontologists. A new paper recently published in the journal Nature extends the discussion. The new research led by Nathan Myhrvold, a former chief technology officer at Microsoft and an amateur paleontologist and…
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PBS Eons: How Long Have We Been Caring For Each Other?
PBS Eons has another interesting video. This one is about the development of medical care. When did practicing medicine – in its varied, complex forms (from sharing medicinal plants to the earliest surgeries) – become something that we actually started doing? While it’s a hard question to answer, it’s possible that our tendency to heal…
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Fossil Friday #206: Cyclus americanus
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #206. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! We have a large well-preserved Cyclus americanus…
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Throwback Thursday #207: Diamonds and Gold Poem
This is Throwback Thursday #207. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! For this week, we have poem entitled “Diamonds and Gold” from the March 1971 newsletter. The poem comes…
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Trip Full: ESCONI Field Trip to Danville Shale Pile Fossils – Saturday, April 27th, 2024
This trip is now full. Danville Field Trip Rules for April 27, 2024 An ESCONI field trip to the Danville Shale Pile for Pennsylvanian fossils is scheduled for April 27, 2024 starting at 10 AM. This is on private property and there is an attendance limit of 25 people. The gate will be secured once…
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390 million-year-old fossilized forest is the oldest ever discovered
LiveScience has a story about the discovery of a very old fossil forest. Found in southwestern England, this ancient forest dates to around 390 million years ago, during the Devonian Period. That makes it the oldest known fossil forest, about 4 million years older than the Gilboa fossil forest in New York. A description of the…
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Mazon Monday #209: Walter’s Spider
This is Mazon Monday post #209. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Today, we have another post about the “Richardson’s Guide to the Fossil Fauna of Mazon Creek”. This one addresses the amazing spider on the book’s jacket. That beautiful specimen was generously donated to the Mazon Creek Project by Rita…
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Newly Discovered Fossil from the Smithsonian’s Collection Named After Kermit the Frog
Smithsonian Magazine has an article about a new species named for the Muppet character Kermit the Frog. Kermitops gratus lived during the early Permian in what is now Texas, about 280 million years ago. The paper’s authors Calvin So, Arjan Mann, and Jason Pardo describe the new species as a pro-amphibian. The skull fossil was…
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PBS Eons: How Snake Venom Sparked An Evolutionary Arms Race
PBS Eons has a new episode over on Youtube. This one is about the co-evolution of venomous snakes and the rest of the animal kingdom. For some, the rise and spread of venomous elapids was just another challenge to adapt to. For others, it was a catastrophe of almost apocalyptic proportions. And we humans are…
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Fossil Friday #205: Bifurcated Asterophylites from Indiana
This is the “Fossil Friday” post #205. Expect this to be a somewhat regular feature of the website. We will post any fossil pictures you send in to esconi.info@gmail.com. Please include a short description or story. Check the #FossilFriday Twitter hash tag for contributions from around the world! —————————————————– Asterophyllites equisetiformis is a part of…
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Throwback Thursday #206: Field Museum’s Apatosaurus
This is Throwback Thursday #206. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! If you visit the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, chances are you’ll venture up to the…
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New Spinosaurid Dinosaur Species Identified in Spain
SciNews has a story about the discovery of a new dinosaur species. Riojavenatrix lacustris, a spinosaur, was discovered in Spain. It lived about 120 million years ago during the Cretaceous Period. The animal was 7-8 meters long and weight about 1.5 tons. R. lacustris was found by paleontologist Erik Isasmendi and his colleagues at the…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Wrap Up!
Here are a few scenes from Sunday, day 2…. Well that’s a wrap on the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show! We had an awesome weekend and hope you made it out and had a good time too! Here are a few scenes from Sunday, day 2…. Friendly faces all weekend… Ralph showing off…
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Mazon Monday #208: A Very Special Book
This is Mazon Monday post #208. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. —————————————————– We ran across another great post over on Facebook by Steve Pavelsky in the “Illinois Mazon Creek, and Carboniferous Fossils of the World” group. If you’re on Facebook and a fan of Mazon Creek, this is one of…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Day 1!
Well, day 1 is over, but we get to do this again today. Come on out and see what we’ve got! There’s another auction and plenty of gems, mineral, fossils, and… rocks! Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois ESCONI 2024 Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show March 16th and 17th, 2024 Dealers, Demonstrators, Displays, Live and…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show!
Today is the day! Today is the day! Earth Science Club of Northern Illinois ESCONI 2024 Gem, Mineral and Fossil Show March 16th and 17th, 2024 Dealers, Demonstrators, Displays, Live and Silent Auctions,Book Sales, Kid’s Korner, Geode Splitting Free Parking! Free Admission! DuPage County Fairgrounds2015 Manchester Rd.Wheaton, IllinoisSaturday 10 AM to 5 PMSunday 10 AM…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #22!
This is the preview post #22 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #21!
This is the preview post #21 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #20
This is the preview post #20 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #19!
This is the preview post #19 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #18!
This is the preview post #18 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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Fossil Friday #204: Annularia inflata
This is Mazon Monday post #204. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Fossil Friday is here with a beautiful Annularia inflata. A. inflata is the foliage for Calamites, a genus of extinct horsetail “trees”. They lived in the coal swamps of the Carboniferous and Permian periods and provide much of the…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #17!
This is the preview post #17 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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Throwback Thursday #205: 2013 ESCONI Show
This is Throwback Thursday #205. In these, we look back into the past at ESCONI specifically and Earth Science in general. If you have any contributions, (science, pictures, stories, etc …), please send them to esconi.info@gmail.com. Thanks! Here is the announcement for the 2013 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show. It was held in the…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #16!
This is the preview post #16 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #15!
This is the preview post #15 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #14!
This is the preview post #14 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show – Preview #13!
This is the preview post #13 for the 2024 ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show Live Auction. The ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show for 2024 will be held on March 16th and 17th at the DuPage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL, which is the same location as last year. All details can be found here.…
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Mazon Monday #207: Spiropteris sp.
This is Mazon Monday post #207. What’s your favorite Mazon Creek fossil? Tell us at email:esconi.info@gmail.com. Spiropteris sp. are immature fern fronds. They are also called fiddleheads. The name Spiropteris was established in 1869 by Wilhelm Philippe Schimper (1808-1880), who was an Alsatian botanist. From 1862 until 1879, he was a professor of geology and…
