Wednesday, November 02, 2011
Both climate change and humans were responsible for the extinction of some large, cold-adapted, plant-eating mammals, according to research that is the first of its kind to use genetic, archeological, and climatic data together to infer the population history of large-bodied Ice-Age mammals. The research will be published in the journal Nature.
The study's findings are expected to shed light on the possible fates of living species of mammals as our planet continues its current warming cycle. Beth Shapiro, the Shaffer Associate Professor of Biology at Penn State University, is a member of the research team. High-resolution images are online at
http://www.science.psu.edu/news-and-events/2011-news/Shapiro10-2011 (more)
Thursday, July 07, 2011
An international team of scientists has discovered that the female ancestor of all living polar bears was a brown bear that lived in the vicinity of present-day Britain and Ireland just prior to the peak of the last ice age, 20,000 to 50,000 years ago. The research, which is led by Penn State's Beth Shapiro and Daniel Bradley of Trinity College Dublin, is expected to help guide future conservation efforts for polar bears, which are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Polar and brown bears are vastly different species in terms of body size, skin and coat color, fur type, tooth structure, and many other physical features. Behaviorally, they are also quite distinct: Polar bears are expert swimmers that have adapted to a highly specialized, arctic lifestyle, while brown bears -- a species that includes Grizzlies and Kodiaks -- are climbers that prefer the mountain forests, wilderness regions, and river valleys of Europe, Asia, and North America. "Despite these differences, we know that the two species have interbred opportunistically and probably on many occasions during the last 100,000 years," Shapiro said. (more)
Monday, June 27, 2011
A revolutionary species-preservation approach based on whole-genome analyses of two Tasmanian devils -- one that had died of a contagious cancer known as Devil Facial Tumor Disease (DFTD) and one healthy animal -- has been used to develop a theoretical model to predict which individuals would need to be kept in captivity to maximize chances of preserving enough genetic diversity for the species to survive.
The research helps to formulate one possible plan of action to prevent the extinction of the Tasmanian devil -- a marsupial found in the wild exclusively in the Australian island-state of Tasmania. The research model also may be extended to other endangered species. (more)
Friday, April 09, 2010
"Although they are vastly different today, millions of years ago, Antarctica and Australia had very similar ecosystems because they used to be connected."
--Peter Wilf, associate professor of geosciences, at the Research Unplugged discussion on Wednesday, April 7. Research Unplugged is an informal lecture series hosted by Penn State's Office of Research Publications and held at noon Wednesdays in Penn State's Downtown Theatre Center. The afternoon begins with a brief introduction of the topic, followed by an open floor for questions, comments and discussion. The event is free to the public. Complimentary coffee and light refreshments are served. For information, visit http://www.rps.psu.edu/unplugged/. (more)
Friday, April 02, 2010
"At the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids, there were still mammoths to be found in Northern Siberia. So we barely missed them."
--Stephan Schuster, professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, at the Research Unplugged discussion on Wednesday, March 31. (more)
Monday, March 01, 2010
An asteroid strike may not only account for the demise of ocean and land life 65 million years ago, but the fireball's path and resulting dust, darkness and toxic metal contamination may explain the geographic unevenness of extinctions and recovery, according to Penn State geoscientists. (more)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Art and science are harmoniously wed in the work of husband-and-wife duo Rebecca Horwitt, artist, and Peter Wilf, Penn State paleobotanist. Their creative collaborations lead us on a journey back in time to the last days of the dinosaurs. To view a narrated slideshow about their work, titled "Tour of the Cretaceous Era," visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6ykm4fUwSY online. (more)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Picture a dinosaur. Huge, menacing creatures, they ruled the Earth for nearly 200 million years, striking fear with every ground-shaking stride. Yet these great beasts were no match for a 6-mile wide meteor that struck near modern-day Mexico 65 million years ago, incinerating everything in its path. This catastrophic impact -- called the Cretaceous-Tertiary or K/T extinction event -- spelled doom for the dinosaurs and many other species. Some animals, however, including many small mammals, managed to survive. How did they do it? (more)
