#Gondwana Research

[ravewing]

cambrian period dashboard simulator

redlichiida-realdeactivated0455414

petition to ban anomalocarises from the local sandbar. theyre so fucking big and it's freaking everyone out and me personally ion want a trilobite muncher looming over me when im trying to have a drink.

🪲 trillybite17 Follow

they dont call them the ABNORMAL shrimp for nothing, they're fucking weird

🎸 punkrock-halluci Follow

No, you know what petition needs to be started? One to get rid of ignorant bigots like you. Have you ever SEEN an Anomalocaris ever eat– let alone ATTACK– a trilobite? No, you haven't. Because they DON'T EAT TRILOBITES. Do some fucking research before you say shit like this.

⚜️ splendidmarrella Follow

fyi if you get rid of anomalocarises from public spaces then you will quite literally starve. you know those dead soft-bodied organisms yall scavenge and eat? yeah anomalocaris is the one providing those for you. as a scavenger myself i have been personally impacted by loss of food due to unfair treatment of anomalocarises that have forced them to leave the shallows that i live in and let me tell you eating detritus and nothing else is literally awful. please think twice before you post something prejudiced like this.

🩶 pleurae71 Follow

common hallucigenia + marrella W

ignore the OP, i promise most of us trilobites aren't like them- i don't even know why this is a debate. i guarantee they've never stepped outside of their little rock cave in their life

🌀 xcorynexospikesx Follow

LMFAOO they deactivated☠️

32,354 notes

🫧 cambripuns Follow

What do you call a Hurdiidae without any eyes? A Hurddae!

♟️vampeytoia Follow

actually you'd call it 'uncle maximilien' because my uncle maximilien was hatched with no eyes

💼 stanley-shrimp Follow

Valerie, you and I both know damn well that you do not have an "Uncle Maximilien," let alone one with no eyes. Stop lying on the internet and stop leaving your soft-bodied organism carcasses on my front sandbed. It smells putrid.

♟️ vampeytoia Follow

wow ok mr fun police. just go and piss on my parade like that

51,039 notes

👾 fiveeyedcoolguy Follow

giys i.m tripping bals rn lol. shuld not hv eaten tge 'detritus " browni e from the hallucigna.. i saw thr magic anomllcrais

🪱 pinkpikaiapage Follow

What?? Elaborate

👾 fiveeyedcoolguy Follow

He told me a prophecy

6,211 notes

🦐 apexshrimpy Follow

she cambrian on my period till i explosion

#anomalo talks #misc tag #is this hash tag funny or no?

211 notes

🎸 punkrock-halluci Follow

thinking about dying my spikes again. what color should i get?

🍢 leancho852 Follow

Do magenta to match your skateboard!!

🎸 punkrock-halluci Follow

ohh that's actually really smart thanks🙏

17 notes

🪨 shalesifters Follow

🧽 the-odontogriphus767 Follow

yo wtf. none of these fuck the landmasses. we're all in the ocean for a REASON

🦪 biofilmer08 Follow

Hey, actually, a few other molluscs and I browse on the microbial biofilm :)

♟️ vampeytoia Follow

🤓

9,761 notes

🕸️ arthropodstemz Follow

reblog if u get around by undulating ur lateral lobes

21,006 notes

📜 g-wiwaxia Follow

Did anyone else happen to see @shalesifters poll on the landmasses (followed by the reblog of the mollusc)? I'd like to think that I was born in the wrong generation. I should have been able to experience the joys of being a land-dweller. I may just have grown tired of being in the ocean every day; quite frankly I just want some sort of change or reform (especially considering the incredulous prices of jellyfish nowadays...)

#Rant #I hope you guys get the idea. I expect some (likely a copious amount of, actually) hate for this one, but regardless I thought that I'd share my thoughts here #I'd like to move to Laurentia

74 notes

📸 daily-cambrian-pics Follow

⚜️ splendidmarrella Follow

omg thats me on the bottom in the middle! @romip51212 @kookykootenia look its us from earlier today

🫑 kookykootenia Follow

Woah whatt this is actually crazy

🍤 romip51212 Follow

yo i look rad in that.. changing my header immediately

8,121 notes

🦂 radiodont-radiostatic Follow

DNI if you support any of the anti-anomalocaris propaganda that's circling around. Sick and tired of the twisted lies that are being spread on here. I won't stand for the slandering of my brethren.

#static speaks #dni #will not hesitate to block and report any of you bigoted assholes

93 notes

🪼 jlyfsgh224256 Follow

q

79,343 notes

🍌 nectocarisking69420 Follow

I FUCKING LOVE DETRITUS

🍌 nectocarisking69420 Follow

Yo wtf was i on last night

🍢 leancho852 Follow

You were speaking your truth king. Don't hold back

755 notes

🪸 see-you-lagerstatte Follow

thought too long about the big white orb beyond the surface and broke down crying. What to do about this?

#why is it there?????? what is it???? #please im going insane over this

23 notes

🐾 catboycanadaspis Follow

born to say "nya!" and meow. forced to consume the coarse particles found on the sediment surface

886 notes

🌊 tidal-trilobite Follow

hey has anyone else noticed that it's been harder to breathe lately or is it just me? can't afford to go to the doctor for an exam rn

🦀 clackyappendages Follow

I thought that it was just me! I might sound crazy but have there been less archaeocyathids lately??

🐚 sand-muncher-757 Follow

i've had TWO neighbors pass away from hypoxia in the past month, definitely have noticed the breathing issues too. also i havent seen an archaeocyathid in so long either. so weird😬😬

682 notes

[new-dinosaurs]

Gondwanax paraisensis Müller, 2024 (new genus and species)

(Type femur [thigh bone] of Gondwanax paraisensis, from Müller, 2024)

Meaning of name: Gondwanax = Gondwana king [in Greek]; paraisensis = from Paraíso do Sul

Age: Middle–Late Triassic (Ladinian–Carnian)

Where found: Santa Maria Formation, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

How much is known: A right femur (thigh bone), along with several vertebrae and a partial pelvis from the same site. It is unknown whether the other bones belonged to the same individual as the femur.

Notes: Gondwanax was a silesaurid, a group of probably quadrupedal Triassic reptiles that often had adaptations for herbivory (though there is evidence that they also ate insects). Until recently, silesaurids were generally considered to be close relatives of dinosaurs instead of dinosaurs themselves, and I previously excluded them from coverage on this blog. However, multiple recent analyses have suggested that they might in fact be true dinosaurs, specifically early members of Ornithischia ("bird-hipped" dinosaurs), so from here on out I will tentatively include them within this blog's purview. In fact, some of those studies have found that most "silesaurids" may not have formed a unique evolutionary group, but instead a series of lineages with some being more closely related to later ornithischians than others.

Regardless of whether it is a true dinosaur, Gondwanax is one of the oldest known dinosauromorphs (the group containing dinosaurs and their closest relatives). Compared to other dinosauromorphs of similar age, Gondwanax more closely resembles later dinosaurs in having three hip vertebrae (whereas dinosaurs ancestrally appear to have had only two). It is unusual among dinosauromorphs in having a very small fourth trochanter, a attachment point on the femur for muscles that pull the hindlimb backward.

(Schematic skeletal of Gondwanax paraisensis, with preserved bones in orange, from Müller, 2024)

Reference: Müller, R.T. 2024. A new "silesaurid" from the oldest dinosauromorph-bearing beds of South America provides insights into the early evolution of bird-line archosaurs. Gondwana Research advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2024.09.007

[a-dinosaur-a-day]

Did you Know

Mammal bias isn't the only one when it comes to researching nature and deep time?

There are more!

There is also time bias! As I have discussed with @quark-nova, Essentially, because the more recent something is the easier it is to learn about - more remains of things, more details from the rocks, etc. - we also have ridiculous amounts of bias towards more recent times. This is clearest when it comes to the traditional geologic time scale - the further back you go, the longer time periods are, and nothing is divided particularly evenly. I would even say the "anthropocene" is the biggest offender in this - if we zoomed out from today to a hundred million years ago, all of the extinctions and chaos of the past 2.5 million years would get lumped together into one big mass extinction, not separated out into nitty gritty and frankly narcissistic time slices.

Then there is geographical bias! You'd think people studying the whole biosphere wouldn't have this, but we do! Thanks to *colonialism!* The geologies of North America and Europe are significantly better studied than the rest of the world, which is fighting hard to catch up. This even extends to our knowledge of modern life, with many new species still being discovered in "the global south" (I personally prefer the term Gondwana, but what can you do). And we have no one to blame for that but ourselves.

And another one is land bias! Because we are land organisms, we tend to think about land ecosystems more than oceanic ones - in fact, the ocean only really gets enough time on it in the early stages of life, everything before the Silurian, because there isn't a land ecosystem to focus on more! But the oceans are just as influential in our past - honestly, moreso - than land ecosystems, even today - think about how much El Niño affects us all! But how many people know about the end cretaceous extinction, and not the mesozoic marine revolution? How many people know that reefs at the end Cretaceous were just, made by bivalves for some reason? The list goes on.

Then there's the one most people know about already - megafaunal and charismatic bias! This often goes hand in hand with mammal bias, but essentially, because we ourselves are megafauna - I know we specifically define megafauna to exclude humans, but how the hell is that logical - we operate on a big scale, at any rate - we tend to favor megafauna in our knowledge of the past and our understanding of life. And, if its not megafauna, it at least has to be charismatic - cute, extra weird maybe, or familiar. This affects modern research so much, especially conservation and research funding - not just paleo, but also neontological work. Charismatic Megafauna get everything, and everyone else gets scraps.

This is just the tip of the iceberg! All scientists bring in bias - that's why we need as many scientists as possible, so we have as many perspectives as possible to come up with the most parsimonious and universal view of nature - but some biases are fairly universal for humans and need to be murdered in our heads by all of us. Why did Wingspan and Holotype both start with North America when the best birds are in South America and the best fossil dinosaurs are in Asia? The list is infinite.

The biases we have because of the way history has played out, the way preservation works, and because of what kind of organisms we are as humans, are ones we all have to work to disassemble and deconstruct in our brains. The more we do so, the more we can look at the big picture, understand our entire biosphere, and work together to protect it.

Plus, imagine how much cool stuff we'll learn about when we finally take the time to do so.

We have nothing to lose but our chains.

[mindblowingscience]

Utrecht University geologist Suzanna van de Lagemaat has reconstructed a massive and previously unknown tectonic plate that was once one-quarter the size of the Pacific Ocean. Her colleagues in Utrecht had predicted its existence over 10 years ago based on fragments of old tectonic plates found deep in the Earth's mantle. Van de Lagemaat reconstructed lost plates through field research and detailed investigations of the mountain belts of Japan, Borneo, the Philippines, New Guinea, and New Zealand. To her surprise, she found that oceanic remnants on northern Borneo must have belonged to the long-suspected plate, which scientists have named Pontus. She has now reconstructed the entire plate in its full glory. The work has been published in Gondwana Research.

Continue Reading.

[materialsscienceandengineering]

Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz which has been used as a gemstone for many centuries and is a key economic resource in northern Uruguay. Geodes are hollow rock formations often with quartz crystals, such as amethyst, inside. Amethyst geodes in Uruguay have been found in cooled lava flows, which date from the original breakup of the supercontinent Gondwana around 134 million years ago. However, their formation has remained a mystery. So, a research team led by the University of Göttingen investigated using cutting-edge techniques. The researchers discovered that the amethyst geodes formed at unexpectedly low crystallisation temperatures of just 15 to 60 °C. Taken with their other results, researchers were able to propose a new model to explain their formation. The research was published in the journal Mineralium Deposita.

Read more.

[merelygifted]

Indian Ocean gravity hole: The dent in Earth's gravitational field created by the death of an ancient ocean | Live Science

...  The study indicated that the Indian Ocean gravity hole formed after the death of an ancient ocean called Tethys, which existed between the supercontinents Laurasia and Gondwana. Tethys sat on a chunk of Earth's crust that slipped beneath the Eurasian plate during the breakup of Gondwana 180 million years ago. As this happened, shattered fragments of the crust sank deep into the mantle.

Around 20 million years ago, as these fragments landed in the lowermost regions of the mantle, they displaced high-density material originating from the "African blob" — a compact bubble of crystallized magma, 100 times taller than Mount Everest, that is trapped beneath Africa. Plumes of low-density magma rose to replace the dense material, diminishing the overall mass of the region and weakening its gravity.Scientists are yet to confirm these model predictions with earthquake data, which could help to verify the existence of low-density plumes beneath the hole. Meanwhile, researchers are realizing more and more that Earth’s magma is full of strange blobs, including some that were thought to be missing and have turned up in unexpected places.  ...

[dropsofsciencenews]

The Giant Salamander That Rewrites Tetrapods' History

ITA version ESP version

When we open palaeontology books and travel back in time among our ancestors, we find that tetrapods, the first four-legged vertebrates, are often described as animals closely tied to the equatorial wetlands of the Carboniferous period, which spanned from 358.9 to 298.9 million years ago. As we continue reading, we discover that during the late Carboniferous, around 307 million years ago, the more archaic tetrapods were quickly replaced by the ancestors of modern amniotes (vertebrates with amniotic eggs, such as reptiles, dinosaurs, birds, and mammals) and lissamphibians (modern amphibians such as frogs, salamanders, and caecilians). These hypotheses are primarily based on fossils found in the palaeoequatorial region of Pangaea, known as Laurussia, which included North America and Europe.

However, an unexpected discovery in Namibia suggests a more global distribution of this group of animals. A research team led by Drs Claudia A. Marsicano and Jason D. Pardo found fossil remains in the Ugab River valley, in Damaraland, preserved in the muddy stone of an ancient freshwater lake. The remains have been dated to 280 million years ago, right at the beginning of the Permian period, and come from high palaeolatitude deposits (about 55° S), a region that was part of the supercontinent Gondwana. The dating and unique location of this find demonstrate that tetrapods were already well-established in the temperate-cold latitudes of Gondwana during the final stages of the Carboniferous-Permian deglaciation.

Upon discovering the remains, researchers immediately realised that this ancient tetrapod represented a new species, which has been named Gaiasia jennyae. The name refers to the Gai-As Formation and honours Jenny Clack (1947–2020), a scientist whose discoveries were fundamental in the study of early tetrapods. The animal lived during the Permian period, long before the appearance of the first dinosaurs. The characteristics of Gaiasia jennyae indicate that it was a proto-tetrapod, a transitional form between fish and the first terrestrial tetrapods. The fossils, which include an almost complete skeleton of an adult about 3 metres long, are the largest ever discovered for this type of vertebrate. The analysis of the fossils revealed a broad, flat head, almost 60 centimetres long, attached to a 2.5-metre body. The structure of the skull, adorned with unusually large and curved fangs, suggests that this animal was also a formidable predator, likely a fish hunter in the swampy waters and lakes of the region. Gaiasia jennyae still exhibits aquatic traits, such as gills and underdeveloped limbs, which allowed it to live both in water and on land.

The discovery of this species in Namibia is particularly significant as it challenges the previous hypothesis that early giant tetrapods were confined to the northern hemisphere during the Carboniferous-Permian transition. This new perspective suggests that significant adaptations in the early radiation of tetrapods took place outside the well-sampled basins of palaeoequatorial Pangaea. The diversification and extinction dynamics of tetrapods during the late Palaeozoic may therefore have been much more complex and globally widespread than previously thought.

source

[levysoft]

Nell’Oceano Indiano, appena a sud dello Sri Lanka, c’è un enorme “buco gravitazionale”, un’area che si estende per più di tre chilometri quadrati dove il livello del mare è di oltre 100 metri più basso della media globale.

Questa anomalia, conosciuta come Geoide Basso dell’Oceano Indiano (IOGL, dall’inglese Indian Ocean Geoid Low), ha lasciato a lungo perplessi i geologi, ma i ricercatori dell’Indian Institute of Science di Bengaluru, in India, hanno trovato una spiegazione plausibile alla sua formazione: a crearla sono stati dei pennacchi di magma provenienti dalle profondità del pianeta, molto simili a quelli che portano alla creazione dei vulcani.

Per simulare la sua origine, il team ha utilizzato modelli computerizzati per riportare l’orologio indietro di 140 milioni di anni, dettagliando quanto scoperto nelle simulazioni in uno studio recentemente pubblicato sulla rivista Geophysical Research Letters.

La Terra non è una sfera perfetta

Quando pensiamo alla forma del nostro pianeta, spesso immaginiamo una sfera uniforme o un ellissoide, cioè una sfera leggermente schiacciata ai poli. Tuttavia, il modello che meglio descrive il profilo della Terra è il geoide, che tiene conto delle irregolarità gravitazionali che determinano depressioni e protuberanze della superficie terrestre.

Queste irregolarità sono dovute al fatto che l’interno del pianeta non è omogeneo, ma presenta alcune aree più dense di altre. “Se immaginiamo di versare dell’acqua sulla superficie della Terra, il livello che assumerà è chiamato geoide, che viene controllato da queste differenze di densità nel materiale all’interno del pianeta, che attraggono la superficie in modi molti diversi a seconda di quanta massa c’è sotto” spiega Attreyee Ghosh, co-autrice dello studio e docente presso il Center for Earth Sciences dell’Indian Institute of Science.

Il “buco gravitazionale” dell’Oceano Indiano è il punto più basso del nostro geoide, dunque la sua più grande anomalia gravitazionale, scoperta nel 1948 dal geofisico olandese Felix Andries Vening Meinesz durante un’indagine gravitazionale in mare. “È di gran lunga il minimo più significativo del geoide e finora non si è arrivati a un consenso sulla sua origine” ha aggiunto la professoressa Ghosh, precisando come, in passato, diversi studi abbiano provato a spiegare il perché del fenomeno, senza però trovare spiegazioni convincenti.

Un antico oceano che non esiste più

Nel cercare l’origine di questa anomalia, i ricercatori dell’Indian Institute of Science hanno fatto ricorso a modelli numerici di “convezione del mantello”, un tipo di movimento dell’interno del mantello terrestre o dello strato intermedio in cui il materiale più caldo e leggero sale verso l’alto e quello più freddo e denso affonda a causa della gravità. I dati di movimento convettivo sono stato ottenuti da modelli di tomografia sismica, che utilizzano le onde dei terremoti per ottenere un’immagine tridimensionale dell’interno della Terra.

Dall’indagine è emerso che ad essere responsabili della bassa gravità di questa regione dell’Oceano Indiano sono “anomalie a bassa densità”, dunque la presenza di materiali più leggeri nel mantello superiore e medio al di sotto dell’IOGL. In particolare, hanno evidenziato gli studiosi, l’IOGL si trova in corrispondenza dei resti di un antico fondale oceanico, chiamato Titide, che più di 200 milioni di anni fa separava i supercontinenti Laurasia (che comprendeva quelli che oggi sono il Nord America, la Groenlandia, l’Europa e l’Asia, esclusa l’India) e Gondwana (che era formato dagli attuali Sudamerica, Africa, India, Medio Oriente, Antartide e Oceania).

Quando, l’India si è separata dalla Gondwana, migrando verso nord per poi scontrarsi con l’Asia, decine di milioni di anni fa, il fondale di Tetide è sprofondato nel mantello e potrebbe aver stimolato la formazione di pennacchi, avvicinando il materiale a bassa densità alla superficie terrestre.

Secondo i calcoli del team, l’IOGL si è formato circa 20 milioni di anni fa. E, ad oggi, è difficile dire se scomparirà o se si sposterà. “Dipende tutto da come si muovono queste anomalie di massa nella Terra – ha indicato Ghosh – . Potrebbe essere che persista per molto tempo. Ma potrebbe anche accadere che i movimenti della placca agiscano in modo tale da farla scomparire, tra qualche centinaio di milioni di anni nel futuro”.

[ignouassign]

Experience the Best Blue Mountains Day Tours

Embark on an unforgettable journey through the Blue Mountains Day Tours with our guide to the best day tours, promising unparalleled experiences in one of Australia’s most iconic natural landscapes.

Introduction to the Blue Mountains

Just a short drive from Sydney, the Blue Mountains beckon with their majestic vistas, ancient rock formations, and lush valleys. Discover the perfect blend of adventure, natural beauty, and cultural heritage on these top-rated day tours.

1. Echo Point and the Three Sisters

Start your exploration at Echo Point in Katoomba, home to the legendary Three Sisters rock formation. According to Aboriginal legend, these three towering rocks represent three sisters turned to stone. Enjoy panoramic views of the Jamison Valley and take a stroll along scenic walking trails that offer glimpses of the region’s breathtaking landscapes.

2. Scenic World Adventure

No visit to the Blue Mountains is complete without experiencing Scenic World in Katoomba. Ride the world’s steepest railway, the Scenic Railway, plunging into the heart of the Jamison Valley rainforest. Alternatively, soar above the treetops on the Scenic Skyway, a glass-floored cable car offering unparalleled views of Katoomba Falls, the Three Sisters, and the lush canopy below.

3. Jenolan Caves Discovery

Explore the wonders of the Jenolan Caves, a labyrinth of ancient limestone formations located within the Blue Mountains. Join a guided tour of the Lucas Cave, renowned for its Cathedral Chamber and impressive limestone formations. Discover the underground rivers and marvel at the natural beauty preserved within this UNESCO World Heritage site.

4. Blue Mountains Botanic Garden

Relax and unwind at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden on Mount Tomah, a haven for plant enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Wander through themed gardens like the Gondwana Walk, showcasing ancient plant species, or admire the towering conifers in the Conifer Collection. Take in panoramic views of the mountains while exploring this serene botanical oasis.

5. Outdoor Adventures

Bushwalking and Hiking

The Blue Mountains day tours offer a myriad of bushwalking and hiking trails suitable for all levels of fitness. From leisurely strolls through tranquil rainforests to challenging hikes with sweeping valley views, there’s a trail for every adventurer. Don’t miss the iconic Grand Canyon Walk or the rugged National Pass for a true Blue Mountains experience.

Abseiling and Rock Climbing

For adrenaline junkies, the Blue Mountains day tours provide ample opportunities for abseiling and rock climbing amidst stunning natural backdrops. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned climber, guided tours and courses are available to ensure a safe and exhilarating experience.

Mountain Biking

Explore the rugged terrain of the Blue Mountains on two wheels with thrilling mountain biking adventures. Ride through forested trails, tackle challenging descents, and soak in the scenic beauty of this UNESCO-listed wilderness.

6. Cultural Insights and Historical Sites

Aboriginal Heritage

Learn about the rich Aboriginal culture and heritage of the Blue Mountains through guided tours that highlight ancient rock art, sacred sites, and Dreamtime stories. Gain a deeper appreciation for the spiritual significance of this land to the local indigenous communities.

Historic Villages

Discover quaint villages like Leura and Blackheath, each offering its own unique charm and history. Explore boutique shops, art galleries, and local cafes nestled amidst stunning mountain scenery.

Planning Your Blue Mountains Day Tours

Tips for a Memorable Visit

Plan Ahead: Research attractions and create an itinerary that suits your interests and timeline.

Pack Essentials: Wear comfortable clothing and footwear suitable for outdoor activities. Don’t forget sunscreen, a hat, and plenty of water.

Respect Nature: Follow designated trails, respect wildlife habitats, and leave no trace of your visit to help preserve the natural beauty of the Blue Mountains.

Conclusion

Embark on a journey of discovery and adventure with the best Blue Mountains day tours. Whether you’re seeking thrilling outdoor activities, cultural insights, or serene natural beauty, the Blue Mountains offer an unforgettable escape into Australia’s wilderness.

[ies10]

Gondwana University Gadchiroli: An Emerging Educational Centre in Maharashtra

Located in the picturesque Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, Gondwana University has emerged as a leading center of higher education since its inception in 2011. Named after the ancient Gondwana region, the university is committed to imparting quality education and promoting research, innovation, and community engagement. In this blog, we look at various aspects of Gondwana University, including its history, academic content, campus life, and prospects.

History and Background:

Gondwana University was established to cater to the educational needs of students in the Gadchiroli and Chandrapur districts, which are part of the Vidarbha region. The university aims to promote higher education in these underdeveloped areas and provide opportunities to students who do not have access to quality education. The establishment of Gondwana University was a significant step towards improving the educational infrastructure in this region of Maharashtra.

Academic Programmes:

Gondwana University offers a wide range of Bachelor's, Master's, and Doctoral programs in various fields. The university comprises several faculties such as Arts, Science, Commerce, Social Sciences, Law, Engineering, and Medicine. The most popular courses offered by the university are:

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.)

Bachelor of Commerce (B.Com.)

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Master of Science (M .Sc.)

Master of Commerce (M.Com.)

Bachelor of Engineering (B.E.)

Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)

The university is also known for its research-oriented approach and encourages its students and faculty to: You will participate in research projects that contribute to the advancement of knowledge and society.

Faculty and Research:

Gondwana University has a dedicated and experienced team of faculty members who are committed to providing quality education and guiding students. Faculty members are actively involved in research activities and have published numerous papers in national and international journals. The university also collaborates with other academic and research institutes to promote interdisciplinary research and innovation.

Gondwana University's emphasis on research is evident through various research centers and laboratories across the campus. These centers focus on areas such as environmental sciences, biotechnology, social sciences, and area studies, addressing regional and global challenges through innovative research.

Campus Infrastructure:

Spread across a vast campus, Gondwana University provides a conducive environment for learning and personal growth. The university's infrastructure includes well-equipped classrooms, modern laboratories, a comprehensive library, and sports facilities. The library in particular is a repository of knowledge, housing an extensive collection of books, magazines, and digital resources that support the academic and research needs of students and faculty.

In addition to academic facilities, the university also provides hostels for students, ensuring a comfortable and safe living environment. The campus is equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, allowing students to access online resources and stay connected with the academic community around the world.

Student Life and Extracurricular Activities:

Life at Gondwana University is not just about studying. The university encourages students to participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities. A range of student clubs and societies focusing on areas such as literature, arts, sports, and community service provide students with the opportunity to pursue their interests and gain new skills.

The university regularly organizes cultural events, sports competitions, and technology festivals to promote community and camaraderie among students. These events not only provide students with a platform to showcase their talents but also help build leadership and teamwork skills.

Community Involvement and Social Responsibility:

Gondwana University has a strong commitment to community engagement and social responsibility. The University undertakes various initiatives towards contributing to the development of the local community and resolving social issues. Through outreach programs, awareness campaigns, and social projects, the University aims to make a positive impact on society.

One notable initiative is the University's focus on promoting education and empowerment of the tribal communities of the region. Gondwana University plays a vital role in empowering the marginalized sections of society by awarding scholarships, conducting educational camps, and offering skill development programs.

Future Outlook:

As Gondwana University continues to grow and develop, it is well on its way to becoming a leading educational institution in Maharashtra and beyond. The vision of the university is to create a knowledge center that fosters innovation, drives sustainable development, and produces socially responsible graduates who can contribute to the nation's progress.

With plans to introduce new degree programs, expand research facilities, and strengthen linkages with industry, Gondwana University is on a path of continuous improvement. The university's commitment to excellence in teaching, research, and community service makes it a promising destination for students seeking a well-rounded and enriching academic experience.

Conclusion:

Gondwana University Gadchiroli is a beacon of hope and opportunity for students from the Vidarbha region and beyond. Its commitment to quality teaching, advances in research, and community engagement has set it apart as an emerging center of learning and development. As the University continues to build on its strengths and take on new challenges, it is well-positioned to shape the future of education in Maharashtra.

[scientificinquirer-blog]

Gondwana’s ultimate hunter – New giant fossil tetrapod found in Namibia

After three years of meticulous study, an international team of researchers has announced the discovery of a fossilised giant basal tetrapod in Namibia’s arid heartland in Nature.  A basal tetrapod is an early four-legged vertebrate with fingers and toes, which lived during the transition from water to land. These ancient carnivores are among the earliest ancestors of all modern animals. This…

[new-dinosaurs]

Thyreosaurus atlasicus Zafaty et al., 2024 (new genus and species)

(Armor plates of Thyreosaurus atlasicus [scale bars = 5 cm], from Zafaty et al., 2024)

Meaning of name: Thyreosaurus = shield lizard [in Greek]; atlasicus = from the Atlas Mountains

Age: Middle Jurassic (Bathonian–Callovian?)

Where found: El Mers III Formation, Fès-Meknès, Morocco

How much is known: Partial skeleton of one individual including several vertebrae, ribs, armor plates, and a limb bone.

Notes: Thyreosaurus was a stegosaur, possibly closely related to Adratiklit, which is also known from the Middle Jurassic of Morocco, and Dacentrurus from the Late Jurassic–Early Cretaceous of Europe. The type specimen is estimated to have been about 6 m long in total body length, but had not finished growing when it died.

The armor plates of Thyreosaurus were unusual in that they exhibit a cross-hatched texture on one side. In other armored dinosaurs, similar textures are generally found at the base of bony armor where it is embedded into their skin. The describers of Thyreosaurus thus suggest that these plates lay flat against its body, instead of standing vertically as is typical of back plates in other stegosaurs.

Reference: Zafaty, O., M. Oukassou, F. Riguetti, J. Company, S. Bendrioua, R. Tabuce, A. Charrière, and X. Pereda-Suberbiola. 2024. A new stegosaurian dinosaur (Ornithischia: Thyreophora) with a remarkable dermal armour from the Middle Jurassic of North Africa. Gondwana Research advance online publication. doi: 10.1016/j.gr.2024.03.009

[newzzhuub]

[ad_1] Newswise — DALLAS (SMU) – An SMU-led research team has found that ancient rocks and fossils from long-extinct marine reptiles in Angola clearly show a key part of Earth’s past – the splitting of South America and Africa and the subsequent formation of the South Atlantic Ocean. With their easily visualized “jigsaw-puzzle fit,” it has long been known that the western coast of Africa and the eastern coast of South America once nestled together in the supercontinent Gondwana — which broke off from the larger landmass of Pangea. The research team says the southern coast of Angola, where they dug up the samples, arguably provides the most complete geological record ever recorded on land of the two continents moving apart and the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean. Rocks and fossils found date back from 130 million years ago to 71 million years.   “There are places that you can go to in South America, for instance, where you can see this part of the split or that part of it, but in Angola, it's all laid out in one place,” said Louis L. Jacobs, SMU professor emeritus of Earth Sciences and president of ISEM. Jacobs is the lead author of a study published in The Geological Society, London, Special Publications. “Before this, there was not a place known to go and see the rocks on the surface that really reflected the opening of the South Atlantic Ocean, because they’re now in the ocean or eroded away,” Jacobs said. Angola rocks and fossils tell the whole storyAfrica and South America started to split around 140 million years ago, causing gashes in Earth’s crust called rifts to open up along pre-existing weaknesses. As the tectonic plates beneath South America and Africa moved apart, magma from the Earth’s mantle rose to the surface, creating a new oceanic crust and pushing the continents away from each other. And eventually, the South Atlantic Ocean filled the void between these two newly-formed continents.Scientists have previously found evidence of these events through geophysics and well cores drilled through the ocean floor.  But these tell-tale signs have never been found in one place, or been so clearly visible for anyone to see, said study co-author Michael J. Polcyn, research associate in the Huffington Department of Earth Sciences and senior research fellow, ISEM at SMU.“It's one thing for a geophysicist to be able to look at seismic data and make inferences from that,” he said. “It's quite another thing to be able to take a school field trip out to the rock formations, or outcrops, and say this is when the lava was spreading from eastern South America. Or this was when it was a continuous land.”Essentially, Angola presents the opportunity for someone to easily walk through each phase of this geologically significant chapter in Earth’s history.  “That gives Angola major bragging rights,” Jacobs said. Jacobs, Polcyn and Diana P. Vineyard – who is a research associate at SMU – worked with an international team of paleontologists, geologists and others to analyze both the rock formations they found in eight different locations on the coast and the fossils within them.Fieldwork in Angola’s Namibe Province began in 2005. At that time, the research team recognized particular types of sediments, which gave them a good indication of what the western coast of Africa had been like at various stages millions of years ago. For instance, fields of lava revealed volcanic outpourings, and faults or breaks showed where the continents were being rifted apart. Sediments and salt deposits showed ocean flooding and evaporation, while overlying oceanic sediments and marine reptiles showed completion of the South Atlantic Ocean.Paleontologists, meanwhile, discovered fossils in Angola from large marine reptiles that had lived late during the Cretaceous Period, right after the Atlantic Ocean was completed and while it grew wider. By bringing together experts from a wide range of fields, “we were able to document when there was no ocean at all, to when there was a fresh enough ocean for those reptiles to thrive and have enough to eat,” Vineyard said. Many of the ancient fossils are currently on display at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History “Sea Monsters Unearthed: Life in Angola’s Ancient Seas” exhibit, which was co-produced with SMU – a nationally-ranked Dallas-based private university.Angolan researchers – Nair de Sousa, a geoscientist and energy consultant at the African Circular Business Alliance, and Pedro Claude Nsungani, a geology professor at the Universidade Agostinho Neto – also played a key role in this research. About SMUSMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.   window.fbAsyncInit = function () FB.init( appId: '890013651056181', xfbml: true, version: 'v2.2' ); ; (function (d, s, id) var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = " fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); (document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk')); [ad_2]

[chuckschmalzried]

140 Million Years Later The Lost Continent of Greater Adria Has Been Found Buried Under Europe

140 Million Years Later, The Lost Continent of Greater Adria Has Been Found Buried Under Europe https://theheartysoul.com/a-lost-continent-has-been-found-buried-under-europe/ This article was originally published October 13, 2019 and has since been updated. Written By: Jordan Nisbet According to a recent study published in the journal Gondwana Research, a lost continent has been found buried under southern Europe, and sadly, it’s not Atlantis [1]. Bummer. A great deal of the continental crust has been submerged […] The post 140 Million Years Later, The Lost Continent of Greater Adria Has Been Found Buried Under Europe appeared first on The Hearty Soul. via The Hearty Soul https://theheartysoul.com/ March 01, 2024 at 09:14AM

[sakuraswordly]

@POETICandFUNNY: The story of the gömböc begins with a brilliant mathematician named Vladimir Arnold, who proved in 1995 that such a shape could exist. He did not make it or see it. He just knew it was possible, because he was good at math. He wrote down his proof and showed it to other smart people, who nodded and agreed. But nobody knew how to make this shape. Nobody knew what it looked like. Nobody knew if they would ever find it in the real world. That’s where two Hungarian engineers, Gábor Domokos and Péter Várkonyi, came in. They were fascinated by Arnold’s proof and decided to take on the challenge of finding the exact formula for the shape. They used computers and calculators and lots of paper to solve the puzzle. They named it the gömböc, after a word for a round dumpling, because they liked dumplings.

Ancient diamonds hold the secrets of how continents evolved Diamonds found in Brazil and Western Africa reveal the history of an ancient supercontinent. The secrets of how continents grew and moved throughout the early history of life on Earth have been revealed by the analysis of ancient, superdeep diamonds discovered in mines in Brazil and Western Africa. Tracing the complex history of the ancient supercontinent Gondwana These diamonds developed at the foundation of the supercontinent Gondwana between 650 and 450 million years ago. Supercontinents are large landmasses that are formed when many continents combine to form a single, massive location. Gondwana is one of the most notable ancient supercontinents. It existed from the Neoproterozoic to the Cenozoic era and included the landmasses that now make up South America, Africa, Antarctica, India, Australia, and the Arabian Peninsula. Now, isotope analyses of the tiny silicate and sulphide inclusions in the diamonds have revealed how this supercontinent formed, stabilized, and moved around the planet. “Superdeep diamonds are extremely rare and we now know that they can tell us a lot about the whole process of continent formation,” said Dr Karen Smit of the Wits School of Geosciences, who was part of the study. “We wanted to date these diamonds to try and understand how the earliest continents formed.” Diamonds are one of the very rare minerals resistant enough to survive and witness the supercontinent cycle. The supercontinent cycle involves the recurring construction and dissolution of supercontinents over hundreds of millions of years. It is driven by the movement of tectonic plates, which are large sections of the Earth's lithosphere that float on the semi-fluid asthenosphere beneath them. When paired with current plate tectonic models of continent migration, geochemical analysis and dating of the diamonds revealed that the materials formed at extremely deep levels beneath Gondwana between 650 and 450 million years ago, when the supercontinent covered the South Pole, explained Smit. A complicated history that reveals the origins of ancient supercontinents Diamonds have travelled incredibly far both vertically and horizontally within the Earth, as evidenced by their complicated history, which can be used to trace both the origins of the supercontinent and the last stages of its evolution. What the researchers found was that host rocks containing the diamonds were added to the supercontinent's base, and Gondwana effectively "grew" from below. Violent volcanic eruptions then transported the diamonds to Earth's surface 90 million years ago, and with them the secrets of how Gondwana may have formed. “We need this type of research to understand how continents evolve and move. Without continents there wouldn’t be life. This research gives us insight into how continents form, and it links to how life evolved and what makes our planet, Earth, different from other planets,” concluded Smit. Smit is currently working at the University of the Witwatersrand where she is a member of a team creating a new isotope lab and procedures to eventually conduct diamond inclusion analysis in South Africa.

[jhavelikes]

Diverse and full of sea life, the Earth's Devonian era—taking place more than 370 million years ago—saw the emergence of the first seed-bearing plants, which spread as large forests across the continents of Gondwana and Laurussia. However, a mass extinction event near the end of this era has long been the subject of debate. Some scientists argue the Late Devonian mass extinction was caused by large-scale volcanic eruptions, causing global cooling. Others argue a mass deoxygenation event caused by the expansion of land plants was to blame. A recently published study in the journal Communications Earth & Environment led by researchers at IUPUI now posits that both factors played a role—and draws attention to the environmental tipping points the planet faces today.

Study reshapes understanding of mass extinction in Late Devonian era