Roy M. Huffington Department of Earth Sciences
Fossil supervolcano discovered in Italy by SMU-led team is now key feature of new UNESCO Geopark
“It is a rare event that geology is a catalyst of public cooperation and celebration,” says SMU geologist and volcano expert James E. Quick. The new Sesia-Val Grande Geopark is an example of just that, says Quick, whose international team in 2009 discovered a fossil supervolcano that now sits at the heart of the new geopark. The discovery sparked worldwide scientific interest and a regional geotourism industry. Continue reading
NPR: “Boiling Hot: How Fracking’s Gusher of Geothermal Energy is Wasted”
In an energy and environment report on Texas, NPR covered the SMU Geothermal Laboratory‘s research to locate and quantify the huge geothermal resources available for production from existing oil wells within Texas. The NPR report relied on the expertise of SMU geothermal expert Maria Richards, director of the SMU Geothermal Laboratory. Continue reading
NatGeo: Shark-like Tails Sped Ancient Sea Monsters Through Oceans
Science journalist Jane J. Lee with National Geographic reported on the research of SMU Research Associate Michael J. Polcyn, who co-authored a new study that found the ancient sea monsters known as mosasaurs were not as slow as paleontologists once thought, thanks to their shark-like tails.
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Bloomberg: Ancient Angola Crocodile Ate Fish as Oil Fields Formed
The research of an international paleontological team working in Angola and co-led by SMU paleontologist Louis L. Jacobs has been covered by Bloomberg news service.
Fossils in the rock outcrops of the coast of Angola in Africa are a “museum in the ground,” says SMU vertebrate paleontologist Jacobs. Reporters Colin McClelland and Manuel Soque with Bloomberg interviewed Jacobs for Ancient Angola Crocodile Ate Fish as Oil Fields Formed.
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Fox News: Oldest dinosaur embryos ever discovered?
Science news reporter Stephanie Pappas covered the research of SMU Earth Sciences doctoral student Ricardo Araújo, “ Oldest dinosaur embryos ever discovered?.”
Araújo published new findings in his scientific paper published May 30 in the journal Nature, “Filling the gaps of dinosaur eggshell phylogeny: Late Jurassic Theropod clutch with embryos from Portugal.” Continue reading
National Geographic: Dinosaur Eggs Are Missing Link In Egg Evolution
National Geographic reporter Jane J. Lee covered the research of SMU Earth Sciences doctoral student Ricardo Araújo, lead author on a scientific paper published May 30 in the journal Nature.
Araújo describes a nest of 150-million-year-old dinosaur eggs discovered in Portugal, considered to be the first eggs and embryonic material of the Jurassic’s gigantic megalosaurid theropod Torvosaurus. Continue reading
Dallas Morning News: Fort Worth coelacanth fossil is missing link among world’s oldest animal lineages
The coelacanth research of SMU paleontology doctoral student John Graf was covered by Dallas Morning News journalist Marc Ramirez.
Graf identified a new species of coelacanth from fossil fish bones discovered in Texas. Ramirez described the discovery and identification in a Feb. 1 article, “Fort Worth coelacanth fossil proves to be a missing link in one of the world’s oldest animal lineages.” Continue reading
The Daily Campus: SMU contributes fossils to Perot Museum of Nature and Science
The Daily Campus reporter Charlie Scott covered SMU’s contributions to the new Perot Museum of Nature and Science in downtown Dallas. Many fossils from SMU’s Shuler Museum of Paleontology are on loan to the new Perot Museum, including those of animals from an ancient sea that once covered Dallas.
The fossils represent a slice of SMU’s scientific collaboration with the Perot Museum and its predecessor, the Dallas Museum of Natural History. Continue reading
UPI: Study finds Jurassic ecosystems like today’s
News wire UPI covered the research of SMU paleontologist Timothy S. Myers for the news site’s science section.
Myers’ latest study found Jurassic ecosystems were similar to modern: Animals flourish among lush plants. The study set out to discover whether that same relationship held true 150 million years ago during the Late Jurassic when dinosaurs roamed the Earth. Continue reading