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News Release 15-003
Tiny plant fossils offer window into Earth's landscape millions of years ago
Fossilized plant pieces tell a detailed story of our planet 50 million years ago
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"Hemispherical" photograph of an open habitat at Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Costa Rica.
Credit: Regan Dunn
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Scientists Dunn and Stromberg sample for fossil phytoliths at Gran Barranca, Chubut, Argentina.
Credit: Matthew Kohn, Boise State University
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Regan Dunn prospecting for fossil mammals at Gran Barraca, Chubut, Argentina.
Credit: Caroline Stromberg
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Silicified leaf epidermal cells (phytoliths) from modern soil at La Selva, Costa Rica.
Credit: Regan Dunn
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Molar tooth of a 20 million-year-old toxodont, a South American herbivore that lived in Argentina.
Credit: Regan Dunn
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Bar-headed geese (Anser indicus) flying above the Tibetan Plateau. Rather than migrate high above the ground at a steady altitude, these birds fly only as high as the undulating terrain requires. This flight path keeps them in relatively dense air and reduces energy expenditure. Measures of heart rate and wingbeat frequency confirm that the birds usually fly comfortably within their physiological capabilities. See page 250.
Credit: Copyright AAAS 2015. Photo: Coke Smith
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