Did William Smith (1769–1839), the father of biostratigraphy,discover a Jurassic pterosaur tooth?

A partial, isolated tooth from the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) Stonesfield ‘slate’ of the Taynton Limestone Formation of Oxfordshire is identified as likely coming from a ctenochasmatid pterosaur. Referral to Ctenochasmatidae is based on its very slender, slightly curved crown with near circular cross-section and subparallel margins, slightly inflated root and its stratigraphic age. The tooth is part of the William Smith fossil collection held at the Natural History Museum, London. The collection was assembled as part of William Smith's attempt to identify and map strata around England and Wales in the last decade of the 18th century and the first 15 years of the 19th century. Smith's extensive fossil collection of more than 2500 specimens was purchased by the British Museum in 1816 (Wigley et al., 2018), and thus the specimen is the first pterosaur to be accessioned to the national collection.     

An assessment of the Cenozoic avifauna of Switzerland, with a description of two fossil owls (Aves, Strigiformes)

The fossil skeletal record of birds from the Cenozoic of Switzerland is rather poor, despite the fact that avian tracks have been described from twenty tracksites. We review the Swiss fossil skeletal avifauna with emphasis put on new material discovered in the collection of the Natural History Museum Basel. This material includes two new owls (Strigiformes), one from a Late Eocene fissure filling from the Gösgen canal, and another from the Late Oligocene of Mümliswil. The Eocene owl specimen consists of a partial, distal tarsometatarsus, and is therefore too incompletely preserved to allow for reliable hypotheses concerning its taxonomic affinities. It does, however, display features resembling members of the extinct family Palaeoglaucidae. The Oligocene specimen is tentatively attributed to the genus Oligostrix, and it is the youngest representative of the extinct family Protostrigidae. Based on the first complete tarsometatarsus for this family, we erect a new species, ?Oligostrix bergeri. These two specimens represent the first record of fossil owls from Switzerland.     

Diamonds: geology, gemmology, technology

Diamonds – rough stones, cut stones, host rocks, historical jewellery, contemporary jewellery, and hi-tech materials – were the stars of an exhibition at the Natural History Museum in London in 2005, the biggest of its kind the Museum had ever staged. Why diamonds are so rare, how they have been valued through history, and the links between the unique properties of diamond and its use were the key themes of the exhibition.     

Collecting fossil fishes in cowboy country

The Eocene Green River Formation fishes of southwestern Wyoming are among the best preserved and best known fossil fishes yet discovered. Collecting them is hard work and a very technical and time-consuming process, but is made worthwhile by the fantastic setting in which the fossils occur. This is an account of a collecting trip under the leadership ofDr Lance Grande to expand the already spectacular collection of Green River fishes in the Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago.     

A restudy of the Ostracoda <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cypris cylindrica</Emphasis> Sowerby (in Malcolmson, 1840) from the Deccan Intertrappean beds (late cretaceous) of Lakshmipur,Kachchh, Gujarat

Cypris cylindrica was originally described by Sowerby (in Malcolmson, 1840) from the Deccan Intertrappean sedimentary beds of the Sichel Hills, Andhra Pradesh. Whatley and Bajpai (2000) recorded the species during recent years from the Intertrappean of Lakshmipur, Kachchh district, Gujarat and stated that Kachchh specimens are identical with the types of the species housed in the Natural History Museum (NHM), London. They recorded the species as Mongolianella cylindrica. The species, however, lacks distinctive shape and hinge structure of Mongolianella and on the contrary closely resembles Stenocypris cylindrica major (Baird, 1859) in shape and internal characters including having adont hinge, large anterior vestibulum, arcuate lists or striae on free part of inner lamella, numerous short marginal pore canals and 6 large adductor scars, the topmost being much elongated. On these bases the species is herein transferred to the genus Stenocypris Sars, 1889.     

A new Isochirotherium trackway from the Triassic of Vieux Emosson, SW Switzerland: stratigraphic implications

The footprint assemblage of Vieux Emosson, located at 2400 m altitude in the Swiss Alps, was first described in 1982. The assemblage was regarded as Late Ladinian or Carnian in age, but the dating was questioned because the taxa show few affinities with other Triassic assemblages. Here we describe a short trackway with shallow but well-preserved tracks referred to the ichnogenus Isochirotherium, showing affinities with Isochirotherium soergeli and Isochirotherium lomasi. The trackway is present on a piece of slab ex situ lying on a mass of fallen rocks, but the slab can be attributed with confidence to the same level as the main one previously mapped. Preliminary observations in situ and of the footprint casts made in 1979 and deposited in the Natural History Museum of Geneva suggest that none of these are attributable to dinosaurs and that the Vieux Emosson footprints are mainly “track preservation variations” of chirotherian tracks. The occurrence of the ichnogenus Isochirotherium favours an older age, probably Early or Middle Triassic, than previously suggested for the Vieux Emosson tracksite.     

The pedigree and influence of fossil collections from the Falkland Islands: From Charles Darwin to continental drift

The Falkland Islands are typical of remote territories in that their early geological exploration was piecemeal and opportunistic. Whilst the resulting fossil collections (dominantly a Devonian fauna of the Malvinokaffric realm) remain the basis for modern interpretations, published accounts misrepresent their extent and provenance. Charles Darwin first discovered fossils during his 1833 visit aboard HMS Beagle, with subsequent British collections acquired in 1842 and 1876, respectively, by the Erebus and Terror and Challenger expeditions and in 1903 by the Scotia expedition. Darwin's collection, and much of the other material, is now held by The Natural History Museum, London (NHM) but some Darwin specimens were assimilated into other collections whilst at least one NHM ‘Darwin’ specimen was not collected by him. There may also be some uncertainty as to the origin of the Scotia collection, now held in Edinburgh by National Museums Scotland, in relation to a contemporary Swedish collection now held in Stockholm. The NHM holdings were supplemented by a number of enigmatic donations from private individuals and then by fossils collected during the first ‘official’ geological survey of the islands in 1920–1922. Meanwhile a large collection was built up in New York through collaboration in 1909 with a local collector – the Governor's wife! The regional associations of the fossils established the African heritage of Falklands geology, and thereby contributed to an understanding of continental drift as the mechanism for the fragmentation of the Gondwana supercontinent. The Falkland Islands are now regarded as a rotated microplate created during the break-up.     

新疆吐哈盆地地质古生物组合研究

对吐哈盆地生油层的地质特点和地层划分、古气候、古生物组合进行了全面研究；根据三间房组的昆虫性质与特点，建立了“吐哈昆虫组合”，其归属于燕辽昆虫群的区系范围。文中报道了叶肢介１个新种：Ｐｓｅｕｄｏｇｒａｐｔａ？ｔｕｈａｅｎｓｉｓｓ．ｎ．和昆虫３个新种和１个新属：Ｍｅｓｏｂａｅｔｉｓｓａｎｊｉａｎｆａｎｇｅｎｓｉｓｓ．ｎ，Ｍ．ｍａｃｕｌａｔａｓ．ｎ，Ｔｕｈａｎｅｃｔｅｓｘｉｎｊｉａｎｇｅｎｓｉｓｇ．ｓ．ｎ。上述研究结果对石油勘探开发区的地层划分、时代确定及与邻区对比提供了新的依据。     

Notice of nodosaur (Dinosauria,Ankylosauria) remains from the mid-Cretaceous of Cambridge,England, with comments on cervical half-ring armour

Three pieces from cervical half-rings of an immature nodosaur, part of a nodosaurid presacral rod and some post-cranial osteoderms from the Cretaceous of Cambridge were studied at the Booth Museum of Natural History, Brighton, UK. Two of the three half-ring elements show dorsal ridge morphologies distinct from each other, and all three have unfused sutured lateral borders. It is possible they may be derived from the same animal. Comparison with other material from the Cretaceous of Europe, USA and Asia indicates the presence of a large nodosaurid in the Cambridge Greensand fauna, with cervical half-ring morphologies similar to North American taxa, but unlike any previously known from the European Cretaceous.     

Magnetostratigraphy and revised chronology of the late Miocene mammal localities of Samos,Greece

The late Miocene mammalian record in Samos Island, Greece, is extremely important for the Eurasian Neogene mammalian history and chronology. However, due to the mixed nature of old fossil collections and controversies on the stratigraphic position of fossil quarries, great confusion has arisen concerning the recognition of distinct faunal assemblages, their age(s) and biostratigraphic significance. This paper presents the magnetostratigraphy of the late Miocene continental deposits of the fossiliferous Mytilinii Basin, Samos Island, Greece. Old and new sites are stratigraphically controlled with accuracy and correlated with each other. The magnetostratigraphy of seven individual sections, covering the entire Mytilinii Formation, provides good correlation with the Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale (GPTS). These results, as well as the relocation and precise litho- and magnetostratigraphic correlation of the old and new mammal localities, combined with new and reviewed paleontological data and thorough studying of the numerous radiometric dates, allowed us to define five biostratigraphic horizons. Their correlation with, and implications to the European Neogene mammal chronology ages and zones make up the following discussion and provides a modified determination of the middle Turolian (MN 12) boundaries.Abbreviations GPTS Geomagnetic Polarity Time Scale - IPGP Institute de Physic du Globe de Paris - MGL Musée Cantonal de Géologie, Lausanne - MNHA Museum of Natural History of the Aegean, Samos - BMNH Natural History Museum of London - Q quarries - Fm Formation     

鄂尔多斯盆地南部昆虫化石

鄂尔多斯盆地南部下白垩统环河－华池组昆虫化石，共有９个属种，其中有３个新属５个新种，包括未正式发表的１个属种的模式标本。这些昆虫化石在鄂尔多斯盆地是首次发现与公布的，不但丰富了该盆地的化石门类，也为地层划分与对比提供了新资料。     

复杂周边条件下异形基坑承压水抽水试验研究

以上海自然博物馆深大异形基坑为背景,为了保护周边环境,针对日益突出的承压水问题,降压前进行了承压水抽水试验。试验结果表明,当地下连续墙插入承压含水层的深度小于承压含水层厚度的1/3时,可以忽略地下连续墙的阻隔效果;用水头恢复比 表征抽水试验结束后的水位恢复情况,发现停抽10 min 可达到10%,水位稳定时 只能达到94.5%;单井抽水能够达到的降压效果是有限的,与降压前的承压水头埋深无关;群井的降压效果随着抽水井数量的增大而增大,但是随着承压水头埋深的加大,增加相同数量的降压井产生的效率降低。     

The curious case of Central Park's dinosaurs: The destruction of Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins' Paleozoic Museum revisited

In May 1871, models and skeleton casts of dinosaurs and other ancient vertebrates destined for a new Paleozoic Museum in Central Park, New York were smashed and destroyed. This greatest act of vandalism in the history of dinosaur study and museum development was attributed to the infamous William ‘Boss’ Tweed, leader of a notorious group of rogue politicians who at the time held the reins of power in the booming city. Our research on primary sources shows that Tweed was not involved, and the real villain was Henry Hilton, a powerful lawyer and businessman. Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins had been employed to do the work and yet he was dismissed and not compensated, creating a scandal. Contrary to the generally accepted narrative of these events, we find no religious motive for the destruction, only potential conflict with the developing American Museum of Natural History. Further, based on well-reported evidence, we find that Hilton exhibited an eccentric and destructive approach to cultural artefacts, and a remarkable ability to destroy everything he touched, including the huge fortune of the department store tycoon Alexander Stewart. Evidently the destruction of Hawkins' New York City dinosaurs was one of many such crazy actions through his life; Hilton was not only bad, but also mad.     

Theropod dinosaur diversity and palaeobiology in the Wealden Group (Early Cretaceous) of England: evidence from a previously undescribed tibia

A robust, partial right tibia of a theropod dinosaur (Natural History Museum London collections, BMNH R9385) is described for the first time. The specimen was collected at Hastings, Sussex (England) in the last century, and is among the oldest known of English Wealden Group theropods. It represents a tetanuran theropod that may have been about 3 m in total length, and is distinct from all currently known Wealden theropods for which tibiae have been described. The present specimen is significant palaeobiologically in exhibiting a series of theropod tooth marks on its caudal surface, indicating predation or scavenging by another theropod.     

Centric or acentric crystal structure for natural schmitterite, UTeO5? New evidence from a crystal from the type locality

Summary Schmitterite, UTeO₅, was found in a sample of the mineralogical collection of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence. The sample is from the Bambolla mine, Moctezuma, Sonora, Mexico and the mineral occurs as very rare crystals associated with emmonsite. Schmitterite is orthorhombic, space group Pca2₁, with the following unit-cell parameters: a = 10.163(1), b = 5.361(1), c = 7.865(1) ?, V = 428.5(1) ?³, and Z = 4. EDS chemical analyses showed only uranium and tellurium to be present. The crystal structure has been solved and refined to R = 2.28%. It consists of edge-sharing chains of UO₇ pentagonal bipyramids parallel to [001] linked into a framework by TeO₄ polyhedra. The crystal-chemical reasons for the choice of the non-centrosymmetric arrangement and the structural relationships with other natural tellurites are outlined.     

Edentulous pterosaurs from the Cambridge Greensand (Cretaceous) of eastern England with a review of Ornithostoma Seeley, 1871

A re-examination of fossil material from the Late Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand Member (CGM) of the West Melbury Marly Chalk Formation revealed a number of new specimens of edentulous pterosaur jaw fragments previously identified as shark fin spines and fish jaws and accessioned under the epithet ‘cestraciontid finray’ and ‘jaws of fish’. These are now recognised as pterosaurian jaw tips and referred to Ornithostoma sedgwicki Seeley, 1891 and Azhdarchoidea indet. This material increases the diversity of edentulous pterosaurs from the CGM.The edentulous pterosaur Ornithostoma sedgwicki Seeley, 1891 from the Cretaceous Cambridge Greensand of eastern England is reviewed. The holotype specimen is confirmed as a fragment of a premaxilla/maxilla of a non-tapejarid azhdarchoid on account of the conspicuous curvature of the dorsal and occlusal margins posteriorly and the presence of small neural foramina on the lateral margins. Neural foramina are not seen on jaws of members of the Pteranodontia, a group to which O. sedgwicki was included previously. The referral of O. sedgwicki to Azhdarchoidea eliminates the single known Lower Cretaceous occurrence of Pteranodontidae, restricting the temporal range of this taxon to the Upper Cretaceous. Postcranial material referred to O. sedgwicki from the type horizon is regarded as indeterminate Pterosauria.