-
The Brain Scoop: The Egg Collection!
Read more: The Brain Scoop: The Egg Collection!The latest episode on the Field Museum’s “The Brain Scoop” channel is “The Egg Collection!”. There’s an Elephant Bird egg, Kiwis, Ostriches, and much, much more! Eggs! There are around 10,800 different species of birds, all which lay eggs that vary in size, color, shape, and parental care required. Dr. John Bates pulled some highlights from the Field Museum’s egg collection to share these fragile, historically important and BEAUTIFUL specimens with us. “The Book of Eggs” by Mark E. Hauber, Edited by John Bates & Barbara Becker: http://bit.ly/2PhtKaL Learn more about the Field Museum’s work monitoring and supporting peregrine…
-
ScienceMag: Countries demand their fossils back, forcing natural history museums to confront their past
Read more: ScienceMag: Countries demand their fossils back, forcing natural history museums to confront their pastScience Magazine has a story about natural history museums having to re-assess how fossils were obtained in the past. Back during the colonial period, expeditions were launch to the vast corners of the world and many valuable specimens were brought back to Europe. Now, the countries that currently occupy those corners are asking for their fossils to be returned. BERLIN—Step into the main hall of the Natural History Museum here and you’ll be greeted by a towering dinosaur skeleton, the tallest ever mounted. Nearly four stories high and twice as long as a school bus, the sauropod Giraffatitan brancai was the largest…
-
ESCONI May General Meeting on May 10th, 2019 – “Like the Back of My Hand: The Evolution of Dorso-ventral Asymmetry During the Fin-to-Limb Transition”
Read more: ESCONI May General Meeting on May 10th, 2019 – “Like the Back of My Hand: The Evolution of Dorso-ventral Asymmetry During the Fin-to-Limb Transition”The speaker at our May 10th meeting will be Dr. Thomas Stewart. Dr. Stewart is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the lab of Dr. Neil Shubin at the University of Chicago. He will be speaking about his project with Dr. Shubin on the evolution of pectoral fins in tetrapodomorph fishes. His talk is entitled “Like the Back of My Hand: The Evolution of Dorso-ventral Asymmetry During the Fin-to-Limb Transition”.
-
43rd Annual Chicagoland Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show – May 25th and 26th, 2019
Read more: 43rd Annual Chicagoland Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show – May 25th and 26th, 2019The Chicagoland Gem, Mineral, & Fossil Show will be Memorial Day Weekend – Saturday May 25th and Sunday May 26th 2019, at the Kane County Fairgrounds in St. Charles, IL. Show times are 10 AM – 6 PM on Saturday and 10 AM to 5 PM on Sunday. Check here for all the details. Location Kane County Fairgrounds 525 S Randall RdSt Charles, IL 60174 FREE PARKINGINDOORS – AIR CONDITIONED – FOOD AVAILABLECamping Available – Call (630) 377-0197 Admission Prices* One Day Show Pass $5.00 Adults$3.00 Seniors & Students (ages 13-18)Children (Under 13) Attend Free Two Day Pass $8.00 Adults$5.00 Seniors & Students (ages…
-
The Onion: Field Museum Officials Announce Long-Awaited Pregnancy Of Prized T-Rex
Read more: The Onion: Field Museum Officials Announce Long-Awaited Pregnancy Of Prized T-RexTheOnion has an amusing story about SUE the T-rex. It seems that they have been trying to breed SUE for quite a while and now she’s pregnant! CHICAGO—Expressing their elation at the rare specimen’s successful mating, Field Museum officials announced the long-awaited pregnancy of Sue, the museum’s beloved T-rex, in a press conference Friday. “When we first acquired Sue, we were somewhat worried because she just hung around her exhibit all day and seemed to show no interest in mating, but now we’re thrilled to announce that the Field Museum has a baby Tyrannosaurus rex on the way,” said exhibitions developer Monisa…
-
NPR The Indicator: Selling a T-rex on eBay
Read more: NPR The Indicator: Selling a T-rex on eBayNPR’s “The Indicator” podcast has an episode about a baby T-rex for sale on eBay. They do a good job of describing the situation. The podcast is an excellent way to learn about the economics. They have short informative episodes daily. Check it out!
-
Ancient “Texas Serengeti” Had Elephant-Like Animals, Rhinos, Alligators and More
Read more: Ancient “Texas Serengeti” Had Elephant-Like Animals, Rhinos, Alligators and MoreThe University of Texas (UT News) has a press release about some recent work to catalog and identify a large collection of fossils collected near Beeville, TX during the Great Depression. Described as a “Texas Serengeti”, the collection includes specimens of elephant-like animals, rhinos, alligators, antelopes, camels, 12 types of horses, and several carnivores. In total, the treasure contains nearly 4,000 specimens. The animals roamed the Texas coast 11 – 12 million years ago. The paper describing these fossils can be found in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica. “It’s the most representative collection of life from this time period of Earth…
-
‘Cthulhu’ fossil reconstruction reveals monstrous relative of modern sea cucumbers
Read more: ‘Cthulhu’ fossil reconstruction reveals monstrous relative of modern sea cucumbersThis is a 3D reconstruction of Sollasina cthulhu. Tube feet are shown in different colors. Credit: Imran Rahman, Oxford University Museum of Natural History ScienceDaily has a story about an ancestor of modern sea cucumbers. The animal, called Sollasine cthulhu, lived 430 million years ago during the Silurian Period in what is now Herefordshire in the UK. It resembles one of the monsters from the fictional universe created by author H.P. Lovecraft. The description is in a paper, by UK and USA paleontologists, which appeared in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Although the fossil is just 3…
-
Roy Plotnick: High impact paleontology
Read more: Roy Plotnick: High impact paleontologyRoy Plotnick has another interesting article on Medium. In this one, he discusses the recent New Yorker article about “Tanis” site in the Hell Creek Formation. There is a good summary of the backstory of the actual discovery of the site. It was found by an old ESCONI member Rob Sula! Also mentioned are Paleo Prospectors and Lance Gande of the Field Museum. It’s a great piece… check it out! A more serious issue arises with credit for discovering the site. The New Yorker article refers to an unnamed private collector who found the site, decided that is was a…
-
Happy Earth Day 2019!
Read more: Happy Earth Day 2019!There is an official website for Earth Day 2019 (History of Earth Day). They’re blog has information of activities. See what you can do to help! We only have one planet! Reason Magazine has a post with “5 Trends Worth Celebrating” in 2019. To celebrate the 49th Earth Day, below are some global trends indicate that the state of humanity and the natural world is on course to dramatically improve by the end of this century. Peak Population: The world population will likely peak at 9.8 billion people at around 2080 and fall to 9.5 billion by 2100 in the medium…
-
ESCONI April 2019 Paleo Meeting Photos
Read more: ESCONI April 2019 Paleo Meeting PhotosJohn Catalani did a fantastic job presenting on his methods of documenting his field work in the Platteville. His knowledge of all thing Mollusk is always impressive. It seems the Ordovician was an interesting time with a very diverse assemblage of Nautiloids. Also interesting was the correlation of the Plattville formation in the greater context of the Ordovician Period. There was a lively discussion afterwards that carried deep into the evening!
-
ESCONI Field Trip Photos: Belvidere Quarry April 20, 2019
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip Photos: Belvidere Quarry April 20, 2019It was an absolutely beautiful day. Charactoceras found by Keith Robitschek Receptaculites found by Roger Sesterhenn Thaleops trilobite found by Jann Bergsten
-
ESCONI Field Trip to Braceville May 18th – 19th, 2019
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip to Braceville May 18th – 19th, 2019The ESCONI field trips to Braceville for Mazon Creek fossils are set for May 18 and 19, 2019 from 8 AM to 2 PM. You can attend either or both days. There is an attendance limit of 50 people each day. Meet at 8 AM at the entrance to the collecting site on S Berta Road, just east of the intersection with Division St (Braceville IL). A nearby landmark for driving directions is the Braceville Gardner Cemetery, 7295 East Braceville Road, Braceville. I can send a small map to anyone that needs it.
-
Reminder: ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting on April 20th – Assembling a Systematic Collection: Field Work in Action
Read more: Reminder: ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting on April 20th – Assembling a Systematic Collection: Field Work in ActionThe topic for the April 2019 ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting will be "Assembling a Systematic Collection: Field Work in Action". It will be given by ESCONI member and Paleontology Study Group leader John Cataloni. This is an enlarged version of the program that he gave at this year's MAPS EXPO. Come on out and learn best practices for field work!
-
Book Review – Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World
Read more: Book Review – Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age WorldThe Inquisitive Biologist has an interesting (and complete!) book review of “Carboniferous Giants and Mass Extinction: The Late Paleozoic Ice Age World” by George R McGhee, Jr. It caused me to run out (ok, click) and buy the ebook. So far, it’s very good. The ebook is available at all the usual book sites, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo. If you aren’t locked into the Amazon world, Barnes and Noble has the best price. Not so long ago, the idea that giant reptiles once roamed the earth was novel, unbelievable to some, but their reign represents only one part…
-
Help the Field Museum Win a Webby!
Read more: Help the Field Museum Win a Webby!The Field Museum was nominated for a Webby Award, which honors the best work on the internet. Their Instagram account is up for the Best Social – Education & Discovery account. Vote for them to take home the gold in the People’s Voice award. You can only vote through April 18, so cast your vote today! They’re up against the likes of National Geographic and NASA, so feel free to spread the word to friends and family. Thanks for your support, and be sure to follow them on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook if you don’t already!
-
ESCONI Field Trip Photos: Vulcan Quarry in Sycamore, IL 2019-04-14
Read more: ESCONI Field Trip Photos: Vulcan Quarry in Sycamore, IL 2019-04-14Here are some photos from the field trip to the Vulcan Quarry in Sycamore, IL. It was a beautiful day, mostly clear, windy, with temperatures in the mid 40s to lower 50s. There were some good finds, cephalopods were plentiful, brachiopod plates, bryozoans, and a very nice enrolled trilobite.
-
ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting on April 20th – Assembling a Systematic Collection: Field Work in Action
Read more: ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting on April 20th – Assembling a Systematic Collection: Field Work in ActionThe topic for the April 2019 ESCONI Paleontology Study Group Meeting will be “Assembling a Systematic Collection: Field Work in Action”. It will be given by ESCONI member and Paleontology Study Group leader John Cataloni. This is an enlarged version of the program that he gave at this year’s MAPS EXPO. Come on out and learn best practices for field work!
-
Is “Scotty” the Biggest T. rex? Maybe Not!
Read more: Is “Scotty” the Biggest T. rex? Maybe Not!Brian Switeck on his Laelaps blog has a great post that discusses why “Scotty” may NOT be the biggest T.rex. Our local favorite, “SUE” of the Field Museum has long been billed as the largest, oldest, and most complete T.rex ever found. There isn’t any doubt in the “most complete” title. But, largest and oldest has been discussed with the recent plans to display “Scotty” at the Discovery Centre in Saskatchewan. However, Laelaps points out that while the estimates for size and weight for “Scotty” are very close to those of “SUE”, slightly longer (42.6 vs 42.0) and heavier (+900…
-
The American Museum of Natural History Is Turning 150!
Read more: The American Museum of Natural History Is Turning 150!The American Museum of Natural History is turning 150 years old this year! All the details are here. Special Events for 2019 Discover the stories behind your favorite exhibits (more added each month!) Signup for their newsletter.
ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
Most Recent Post
- Mazon Monday #316: Sublepidophloios protuberans
Today, we have Sublepidophloios protuberans, which is a species of lycopsid branch. It’s very common, actually the most common form of lycopsid bark in the Mazon Creek fossil flora.
- About ESCONI
- Around the Web
- Calendar of Events
- Code of Ethics and Conduct
- ESCONI Books for Sale
- ESCONI Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Show
- ESCONI in the News
- ESCONI Videos
- Field Trips
- Flashback Friday
- Fossil Friday
- Mazon Creek
- Mazon Monday
- Member Spotlight
- Membership Information
- Reference Material
- Throwback Thursday
- Trilobite Tuesday
Field trips require membership, but visitors are welcome at all meetings!
| Friday, April 10th | General Meeting – 8:00 PM via Zoom. Jessica Hull will present “Life in the Devonian Period, The Age of Fishes.” |
| Saturday, April 11th | Junior Study Group Meeting – 2:00 PM, in person at the College of DuPage Technical Education Center (TEC) Building – Room 1038A (Map). Katherine Howard will present on Sand and Sediment Collecting. Specifics of this meeting are available from Scott Galloway, 630-670-2591, gallowayscottf@gmail.com. |
| Saturday, April 18th | Paleontology Study Group – 7:30 PM via Zoom and in person at the College of DuPage, TEC, Room 1038B (Map). Keith Robitschek will present “Digging the Marl of the Lance Formation.” |
| Friday, April 24th | MAPS Expo XLVII – Springfield, IL. |
| Saturday, April 25th | MAPS Expo XLVII – Springfield, IL. |
| Sunday, April 26th | MAPS Expo XLVII – Springfield, IL. |
| No meeting this month | Mineralogy Study Group |