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1. A virtual repository of Lower Siwalik Miocene fossils from Ramnagar (Udhampur District Jammu & Kashmir), India.

   Patel, B.A. (January 2022, American journal of physical anthropology)

   Vertebrate fossils have been known from Lower Siwalik Miocene deposits surrounding the town of Ramnagar (Udhampur District, Jammu & Kashmir) in northwest India since Barnum Brown’s American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) expedition in 1922. These fossils included dentognathic specimens of Sivapithecus and other Chinji Formation-aged mammals. Paleontological fieldwork has continued sporadically in the Ramnagar region ever since, and in that time, a large number of vertebrate fossils have been recovered by many different researchers and institutions, including the recently discovered primates Kapi and Ramadapis. Ramnagar fossils are currently housed in several institutions across India and the United States, thereby making it challenging to comprehensively study the entire collection. Consequently, a full understanding of important questions related to the taxonomy, paleobiology, paleoecology, and biochronology of the Ramnagar fauna cannot be readily obtained. Moreover, without answers to these questions, correlations and comparisons cannot be accurately made to other similar aged fossil localities in the Siwaliks (i.e., Potwar Plateau, Pakistan) and elsewhere in Eurasia. Therefore, the goal of this collaborative project is to establish and grow a 3D digital repository of all fossil specimens from the Ramnagar region for continued comprehensive study. We employ µCT, surface scanning, and photogrammetry to virtually bring together specimens from the AMNH, Panjab University, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, and Yale Peabody Museum. Thus far, >100 specimens have been digitized and made openly accessible on the MorphoSource web platform. Here we highlight some of the best-preserved specimens, including recovered primates and micromammals, and discuss their scientific importance. Funding generously provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation (BCS-1945618, BCS-1945736, BCS-1945743) and the Leakey Foundation. 

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2. A new genus of treeshrew and other micromammals from the middle Miocene hominoid locality of Ramnagar, Udhampur District, Jammu and Kashmir, India

   https://doi.org/10.1017/jpa.2022.41  

   Sehgal, Ramesh Kumar; Singh, Abhishek Pratap; Gilbert, Christopher C.; Patel, Biren A.; Campisano, Christopher J.; Selig, Keegan R.; Patnaik, Rajeev; Singh, Ningthoujam Premjit (May 2022, Journal of Paleontology)

   Abstract The fossil record of treeshrews, hedgehogs, and other micromammals from the Lower Siwaliks of India is sparse. Here, we report on a new genus and species of fossil treeshrew, specimens of the hedgehog Galerix , and other micromammals from the middle Miocene (Lower Siwalik) deposits surrounding Ramnagar (Udhampur District, Jammu and Kashmir), at a fossil locality known as Dehari. The treeshrew from Dehari ( Sivatupaia ramnagarensis n. gen. n. sp.) currently represents the oldest record of fossil tupaiids in the Siwaliks, extending their time range by ca. 2.5–4.0 Myr in the region. Dietary analyses suggest that the new tupaiid was likely adapted for a less mechanically challenging or more frugivorous diet compared to other extant and fossil tupaiids. The occurrence of Galerix has only been recently documented from the Indian Siwaliks and the Dehari specimens help establish the likely presence of a relatively large Siwalik Galerix species in the Ramnagar region. In addition to the new treeshrew and hedgehogs, new specimens of the rodents Kanisamys indicus , Sayimys sivalensis , and Murinae indet. from Dehari help confirm that age estimates for the Ramnagar region are equivalent to the Chinji Formation in Pakistan, most likely corresponding to the middle to upper part of the Chinji Formation. UUID: http://zoobank.org/56fb160c-2df8-4cd3-be91-af4dc02d0979 

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3. Activating the Paleontological Research Potential of Life History Data in Living Collections: A Case Study at the Duke Lemur Center

   Whitman, Karie; Riddle, Catherine; Mazza, Amanda; Heritage, Steven; Neely, Kate; Yapuncich, Gabriel; Borths, Matthew (October 2024, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology 2024 Annual Meeting Program and Abstracts)

   Evans, Alistair; Peecook, Brandon; Bai, Bin; Benito, Juan; Capobianco, Alessio; Chapelle, Kimberley; Chiarenza, Alfio; Davis, Brian; Delcourt, Rafael; Ehret, Dana (Ed.)

   Interpretations of extinct vertebrate anatomy, behavior, and life history are built upon comparative anatomy data from neontological collections. Ideally, these interpretations are informed by metadata collected while the organism was alive such as diet, mass throughout life, social relationships, and reproductive history. Unfortunately, these data are not available for many specimens as natural history collections have focused on wild-caught individuals for which mass at collection, sex, and collection locality are typically the only associated data. In contrast, extensive life-history data are collected from organisms in sustained human care, but transferring these data from zoos to natural history collections is not standardized or prioritized. The Duke Lemur Center (DLC) has been designing a database that allows researchers access to morphological and life-history data derived from animals that were part of the living research colony. The DLC is home to over 200 lemurs representing 16 different species. The colony has access to open air, multi-acre habitats. For over 50 years the AZA-accredited DLC has been a platform for non-invasive research on strepsirrhine primates and the DLC Museum is the repository for DLC specimens and fossils related to the evolution of primates. The colony’s breeding records, veterinary care, husbandry data, locomotor behaviors, and diets are recorded by researchers and staff. However, these data are disaggregated, making it difficult to explore. The DLC Data Team started by generating microCT scans of the osteology and frozen cadaver collection to make morphological data available on MorphoSource. Preserved specimens were rehoused and inventoried. Now we are using DLC-developed REDCap database management tools to network scans with life-history records, building a database that researchers can use to explore questions such as individual variation in tooth wear, osteological signatures of different pathologies, and individual biomechanical performance. The REDCap database is also used to store fossil metadata like field notes and specimen preparation records. Our goal is to make these database tools available to other living colonies and natural history collections, so life-history data can be shared and standardized across institutions. This effort – in collaboration with the ZooMu network – will ultimately make life histories accessible to researchers – including paleontologists exploring the fossil record. 

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4. Assessment of targeted enrichment locus capture across time and museums using odonate specimens

   https://doi.org/10.1093/isd/ixad011  

   Goodman, Aaron; Tolman, Ethan; Uche-Dike, Rhema; Abbott, John; Breinholt, Jesse_W; Bybee, Seth; Frandsen, Paul_B; Gosnell, J_Stephen; Guralnick, Rob; Kalkman, Vincent_J; et al (June 2023, Insect Systematics and Diversity)

   Abstract The use of gDNAs isolated from museum specimens for high throughput sequencing, especially targeted sequencing in the context of phylogenetics, is a common practice. Yet, little understanding has been focused on comparing the quality of DNA and results of sequencing museum DNAs. Dragonflies and damselflies are ubiquitous in freshwater ecosystems and are commonly collected and preserved insects in museum collections hence their use in this study. However, the history of odonate preservation across time and museums has resulted in wide variability in the success of viable DNA extraction, necessitating an assessment of their usefulness in genetic studies. Using Anchored Hybrid Enrichment probes, we sequenced DNA from samples at 2 museums, 48 from the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in NYC, USA and 46 from the Naturalis Biodiversity Center (RMNH) in Leiden, Netherlands ranging from global collection localities and across a 120-year time span. We recovered at least 4 loci out of an >1,000 locus probe set for all samples, with the average capture being ~385 loci (539 loci on average when a clade of ambiguous taxa omitted). Neither specimen age nor size was a good predictor of locus capture, but recapture rates differed significantly between museums. Samples from the AMNH had lower overall locus capture than the RMNH, perhaps due to differences in specimen storage over time. 

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5. Investigating Mazon Creek fossil plants using computed tomography and microphotography

   https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1200976  

   Herrera, Fabiany; Hotton, Carol L.; Smith, Selena Y.; Lopera, Paula A.; Neander, April I.; Wittry, Jack; Zheng, Yuke; Heck, Philipp R.; Crane, Peter R.; D’Antonio, Michael P. (July 2023, Frontiers in Earth Science)

   More than 20,000 siderite concretions from the Mazon Creek area of northern Illinois, United States are housed in the paleobotanical collections of the Field Museum. A large proportion contain fossil plants of Middle Pennsylvanian age that often have excellent three-dimensional morphology and sometimes anatomical detail. Approximately eighty plant taxa have been recognized from the Mazon Creek Lagerstätte, but few have been studied in detail, and in some cases the systematic affinities of these fossils need reevaluation. The three-dimensional (3D) preservation of Mazon Creek fossil plants makes them ideal candidates for study using x-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), and here we apply these techniques to more accurately reconstruct the morphology of specimens of Tetraphyllostrobus Gao et Zodrow and Crossotheca Zeiller. The mineralogical composition of the fossil plant preservation was studied using elemental maps and Raman spectroscopy. In-situ spores were studied with differential interference contrast, Airyscan confocal super-resolution microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy, which reveal different features of the spores with different degrees of clarity. Our analyses show that μCT can provide excellent detail on the three-dimensional structure of Mazon Creek plant fossils, with the nature of associated mineralization sometimes enhancing and sometimes obscuring critical information. Results provide guidance for selecting and prioritizing fossil plant specimens preserved in siderite concretions for future research. 

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