EARTH: Closing the gap in the tetrapod fossil record
2015-09-10
(Press-News.org) Alexandria, VA - In a study covered by EARTH Magazine, geoscientists identified fossils that are helping close the 15-million-year period in the fossil record known as Romer's Gap - the time from when fish showed early evidence of arms and legs until we definitively see four-legged land animals.
Scientists have been wondering for decades whether Romer's Gap exists because tetrapod fossils from that time were not preserved, or because their fossils simply have not been discovered yet. These new fossils are starting to close the gap and change the way scientists interpret the way Earth's history. Read more in the September issue of EARTH Magazine: http://bit.ly/1UzxBzJ.
For more of the science behind the headlines, read the September issue, which includes stories on the geology behind one of the world's largest silic igneous provinces and one of the top 10 beaches on the planet: Australia's Whitsunday Islands. Also included are research headlines like how geoscientists are using seismometers to listen for falling rocks in Yosemite and how the fate of atolls may not necessarily be tied to sea-level rise, and much, much more.
INFORMATION:
Keep up to date with the latest happenings in Earth, energy and environment news with EARTH Magazine online at: http://www.earthmagazine.org. Published by the American Geosciences Institute, EARTH is your source for the science behind the headlines.
The American Geosciences Institute is a nonprofit federation of geoscientific and professional associations that represents more than 250,000 geologists, geophysicists and other earth scientists. Founded in 1948, AGI provides information services to geoscientists, serves as a voice of shared interests in the profession, plays a major role in strengthening geoscience education, and strives to increase public awareness of the vital role the geosciences play in society's use of resources, resiliency to natural hazards, and interaction with the environment.
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[Press-News.org] EARTH: Closing the gap in the tetrapod fossil record
