What Makes a Fossil?
Weve long been concerned with the quality of the fossil record, says Arnie Miller. The key to all this of course is the available fossil record. Miller points out that the most prominent issue is that the record gets larger and easier to sample the closer one gets to the present day in the Cenozoic Era. Therefore, weve long been concerned that global diversity curves, which show a big increase toward the present day, are biased.
The rock is less hard, Miller notes. For example, on the Virginia Coast in sediments that are only a few tens of millions of years old, you dont need a hammer, you need a sieve. Around Cincinnati, where the rocks preserve exquisite fossils that are more than 450 million years old, jackhammers and backhoes are sometimes helpful.
Miller also emphasizes the subtle difference between samples taken around the world versus literature published from around the world. That is, not every sample taken is subsequently described in the literature. So in examining fossils and analyzing them, there are several inherent challenges, some natural and some under human control:
Environmental
How preserved
Ecological
Nature of the rock itself
Duration of sampling
Number of samples
Number of articles published
The nature of communities changes over time how do you tally and correct for that? says Miller. And were trying to correct for all of them, basically.
Therefore, we have asked, Can we quantitatively correct for the differences in sampling from interval to interval? Miller says. Operationally, this involves some fairly arcane quantitative methods that, at heart, have a very simple goal: to quantitatively equalize the size of the paleontological sample from interval to interval throughout the geological record, so that we can build a new diversity curve that is free of the distortion that changes in sampling inevitably impart.
Related Stories
Information Security Roadshow spreads awareness
May 3, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Office of Information Security launched a series of 18 in-person sessions from January to April 2024, drawing nearly 350 attendees from the staff of various UC colleges and units. The Information Security Roadshow series aimed to equip the audience with knowledge on prevailing cyber threats, prevention strategies, how to report incidents and resources to stay informed and secure.
Local 12: Diabetes study focuses on how long blood sugar control...
May 3, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Robert Cohen spoke with Local 12 about the GRADE study that shows how a new medication needs to be developed to help treat people with type two diabetes.
Piano alumna Brianna Matzke premieres TREMOR project at American...
May 3, 2024
TREMOR is a performance art project created in response to Brianna Matzke's essential tremor diagnosis. It features a world premiere piano concert and panel discussion at 6 p.m. on May 5, 2024 at the American Sign Museum. The project also includes an art opening, with musical responses from local new-music ensemble concert:nova on April 28 at The Well.