Chinese and American paleontologists discover a new Mesozoic mammal; Ear structure shows how mammalian ear evolution occurred while dinosaurs dominated the world

An international team of paleontologists has discovered a new species of mammal that lived 123 million years ago in what is now the Liaoning Province in northeastern China. The newly discovered animal, Maotherium asiaticus, comes from famous fossil-rich beds of the Yixian Formation. This new remarkably well preserved fossil, as reported in the October 9 issue of the prestigious journal Science, offers an important insight into how the mammalian middle ear evolved. The discoveries of such exquisite dinosaur-age mammals from China provide developmental biologists and paleontologists with evidence of how developmental mechanisms have impacted the morphological (body-structure) evolution of the earliest mammals and sheds light on how complex structures can arise in evolution because of changes in developmental pathways.

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New Fossil Primate from Myanmar Suggests that the Common Ancestor of Monkeys, Apes and Humans Originated in Asia, and Challenges the Role of Adapiform Primates Such as “Ida"

According to new research published online in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Biological Sciences) on July 1, 2009, a new fossil primate from Myanmar (previously known as Burma) suggests that the common ancestor of humans, monkeys and apes evolved from primates in Asia, not Africa as many researchers believe.

A major focus of recent paleoanthropological research has been to establish the origin of anthropoid primates (monkeys, apes and humans) from earlier and more primitive primates known as prosimians (lemurs, tarsiers and their extinct relatives). Prior to recent discoveries in China, Thailand, and Myanmar, most scientists believed that anthropoids originated in Africa.

According to Dr. Chris Beard, the new primate Ganlea megacanina shows that early anthropoids originated in Asia rather than Africa. These early Asian anthropoids differed radically from adapiforms like Ida, indicating that Ida is more closely related to modern lemurs than it is to monkeys, apes and humans.

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Carnegie Paleontologist Assists in Discovery of "Missing Link" in pinniped evolution

A 2007 fossil-hunting expedition in Canada’s High Arctic led to the exciting discovery of Puijila darwini. Puijila is a transitional fossil—a missing link in the evolution of pinnipeds (the group that includes seals, sea lions and walruses). Entirely new to science, this carnivorous mammal provides insight into what pinnipeds looked like before they were adapted to hunting in the ocean.

The fossil is 24 to 20 million years old and was found in the Haughton Crater on Devon Island by a research team led by Dr. Natalia Rybczynski of the Canadian Museum of Nature and including Carnegie Museum of Natural History's Curator Emeritus of Vertebrate Paleontology Mary Dawson.

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Employment Opportunities

Rea Post-Doctoral Fellowship
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Botai: Early Horse Herders on the Steppes of Northern Kazakhstan
New Web site about early horse domestication

The horse has had a bigger impact on societies through the ages than any other animal. The origin or origins of horse domestication is currently a hot topic in archaeology. The time and location(s) of this event are debated by scholars across Eurasia. Sandra Olsen and colleagues are currently working at a site in north-central Kazakhstan to see if it holds clues to the beginnings of taming and eventually domesticating horses. Click here to visit the new site detailing Dr. Olsen's research.

The Online Collections Database offers researchers access to some of the best scientific collections in the world! For example, from the Section of Anthropology, a new set of records covers the topic of South American Indian Ornamentation. From the Powdermill Bird Banding program, more than 570,000+ banding records collected since 1961 are available. Click here to explore all of the collections available online.

The Section of Amphibians & Reptiles has also made selected records available online via the HerpNET database. To access the site, follow the directions on the Herps web page: http://www.carnegiemnh.org/herps/index.htm

1907 AAM Meeting in Pittsburgh

William Jacob Holland, Director of the Department of the Museum, Carnegie Institute, was instrumental in the founding of the American Association of Museums in 1906. Its first meeting was held in New York City in 1906, and its second annual meeting was hosted in Pittsburgh in 1907.

For the 100th anniversary of the Pittsburgh meeting, the Section of Anthropology is attempting to identify the individuals represented in a photo of the attendees. Please click here to visit the Web site.

Photo: Dr. Elizabeth J. Letson, Director, Buffalo Society of Natural Sciences, 1907

Golden Eagle Project

Powdermill avian researchers Mike Lanzone and Trish Miller (at left, displaying wingspread of Golden Eagle) have collaborated with Dr. Todd Katzner of Pittsburgh's National Aviary to monitor the flight of Golden Eagles as they migrate through selected areas in southwest and central Pennsylvania. The eagles are outfitted with a transmitter, not unlike a tiny backpack, which will enable the team to follow the bird's flight activity. To learn more about the project, click here to visit the National Aviary Web site. To see more pictures, click here to visit Powdermill's Avian Research page.

Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas
Coordinated by Powdermill Nature Reserve's Senior Field Ornithologist Robert S. Mulvihill, the Second Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas (field work begun in 2004 and concluded in July 2009) generated an unprecedented amount of data. These data are currently being analyzed to obtain information that will significantly increase our knowledge of Pennsylvania's breeding bird populations, in general, and greatly enhance the effectiveness of our conservation efforts for priority species, in particular. The five-year study will provide unprecedented amounts of data and increased levels of understanding about Pennsylvania's bird populations.

Over the course of six years, more than 3,300 volunteers contributed nearly 150,000 hours of their time finding and documenting the breeding birds in every one of the designated 4,937 atlas survey blocks in the state. They submitted a total of 854,083 records in all, representing 219 species. After extensive data analysis, mapping, and writing, targeted for completion in late 2010, a book summarizing the landmark results of the 2nd PBBA is panned for publication by summer 2011. Click to visit the PBBA Web site.

Images: A tale of two woodpeckers: As a result of the 2PBBA, researchers can confirm that the Red-bellied Woodpecker's distribution greatly increased from the first atlas to the second, while that of the Red-headed Woodpecker greatly decreased. Click on the maps for larger versions!

Programs for Educators
Give your students the opportunity to handle museum artifacts, meet live animals, and explore our world-class exhibitions! To enhance your science curriculum and the students' learning experience, teachers can borrow exhibit-related materials or host an education programs at your location.

A new and exciting addition to our outreach programs is the IDEA Distance Learning Program, where students and teachers can interact with museum educators and CMNH scientists through videoconferencing. Click here to learn more about our Educational Programs through our Programs & Classes pages.

Also check out the programs for educators through Powdermill Nature Reserve, including In-Service credits and Homeschool programs. Located 60 miles east of Pittsburgh in Rector, PA, Powdermill is the biological research station of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Click here to visit the Powdermill Educational Programs pages.