Natural Science Forum / Biology / Paleontology / April 2008

Study says near extinction threatened people
(AP) -- Human beings may have had a brush with extinction 70,000 years ago, an extensive genetic study suggests. The human population at that time was reduced to small isolated groups in Africa, apparently because of drought, according ...

I am interested in opinions of a project I have in mind involving
evolutionary development.
As birds are more or less dinosaurs, more precisely decended from
theropod dinosaurs and in the microraptor group, and that it is now

After watching the BBC's excellent "Walking with Monsters" series, I
developed an interest in several types of fauna pre-existing the
dinosaurs. These were the arthropods such as Arthropleura,
Anomalocaris, Brontoscorpio, Pterygotus(and other Eurypterids). Then

http://www.livescience.com/history/080403-ap-fossil-feces.html
This article calls the new feces found in Oregon and dated to 14,000
YBP "fossils" and "coprolites," yet also says DNA was extracted.  Only
one of those statement can be true, right?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hortonheardawho/2351922923/
I found very strange zig-zag lines in above Martian image link.
Do Earth rocks have similar zig-zag lines after a Rock Abrasion Tool
(RAT) has brushed them?

I found some fossils at Mazon Creek in Illinois, and I was wondering
if anybody knew what they were. Here are some pictures (it's all one
fossil) -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8380645@N02/2379577275/