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New excavations in the Mesvin terrace (Belgium): implications for the appearance of Middle Palaeolithic
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RBINS Staff Publications
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New facts on the history of the first Asian dinosaurs.
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RBINS Staff Publications
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New finds of goniatite anaptychi from the Frasnian (Upper Devonian) of Belgium.
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Poster
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RBINS Staff Publications
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New fossils at the "Troisième caverne" of Goyet (Belgium) and the mortuary practices of Late Neandertals
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Neandertal discoveries in Belgium have played an important role in the history of European paleoanthropology. Late Neandertal fossils within the collections of the "Troisième caverne" of Goyet (Gesves, Belgium) have recently been identified by our multidisciplinary team. These fossils provide an opportunity to assess the variability of Late Neandertal mortuary practices. The "Troisième caverne" of Goyet, excavated at the end of the 19th and early 20th century, yielded a rich archeological sequence ranging from the Middle and Upper Paleolithic to historical times. In 2008 we began documenting the Paleolithic occupations of the "Troisième caverne" by reassessing the collections from the site, which heretofore had only een partially studied. The updated inventory of human remains was accomplished by conducting a detailed sorting of the paleontological collections in order to identify human remains that may have been overlooked thus far. As a result, the collections from the "Troisième caverne" now include nearly 200 human bones/bone fragments and isolated teeth that correspond to various materials from different periods. The morphometric study of the human specimens from Goyet, completed by direct radiocarbon dating and stable isotope analysis, reveals that they represent two main samples: a large and fragmentary series of Late Neandertal remains (Rougier et al. 2012) and a set of modern human specimens from the Upper Paleolithic (Rougier et al. 2013). The Neandertal remains include elements from the cranial and infra-cranial skeleton which represent at least 3 different individuals. The Neandertal specimens of Goyet also present numerous anthropogenic traces that are similar to those found on the fauna remains from the site. We have interpreted them as evidence of cannibalism and will discuss our observations in terms of mortuary behavior variability among Late Neandertals.
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RBINS Staff Publications
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New fossils from the Devonian of Peru shed light on the unusual “dental” structure of the stem chondrichthyan Pucapampella
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Pucapampella represents an enigmatic genus of non-acanthodian stem chondrichthyans known from the Lower to Middle Devonian (Emsian–Eifelian) of South America, particularly from Bolivia and Peru. Pucapampellids display a mosaic of primitive and derived traits. One of the most distinctive features concerns the structure of the dentition, which is unusual compared to other chondrichthyans. They possess “teeth” that are neither arranged into replacement tooth families (as in most crown chondrichthyans) nor part of dentigerous jaw bones or tooth whorls (as in acanthodians). Instead, their mandibular arches have been described as bearing a single series of sharp “teeth” supported directly by cartilage, without any intervening dermal bone. Paleontological fieldwork conducted in recent years in Devonian strata of the Puno region (southwestern Peru), near Lake Titicaca at an altitude of about 4,200 meters above sea level, has yielded a rich assemblage of new pucapampellid fossils, including exceptionally preserved mandibular remains. These specimens are preserved within phosphatic nodules embedded in grey shales from the upper part of the Chagrapi Formation, which records cyclic successions of dark and grey shales with fine sandstones deposited in a delta-influenced infralittoral marine setting. The upper member, rich in organic matter and phosphatic nodules, indicates episodes of deepening and anoxic conditions. Pucapampellid remains occur in Eifelian-aged levels containing a more diverse vertebrate fauna. Specimens were analyzed using synchrotron PPC-SRµCT, synchrotron μXRF elemental mapping, and paleohistological thin sections. Preliminary results reveal a unique dental architecture unlike any previously described in vertebrates. These findings suggest that the dental structures of pucapampellids represent tooth-like elements that are not homologous to the “true” teeth of other gnathostomes.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2026
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New fossils of paroxyclaenids (Placentalia, Mammalia) from the early Eocene of France shed light on the origin and evolution of these endemic European mammals
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Paroxyclaenidae is an enigmatic archaic group of middle size placental mammals. They are known only from Europe, and are recorded from the early Eocene (Ypresian) to the middle Eocene (Bartonian). Paroxyclaenids are divided into two distinct subfamilies: Paroxyclaeninae and Merialinae. They have been variously placed by different authors in Carnivora, Creodonta, ‘Condylarthra’, and Insectivora, but are considered since 1970’s as members of Pantolesta. The dentition of paroxyclaenids is complete (4 premolars, 3 molars); it is highly specialized, with relatively enlarged posterior premolars, spaced out cheek teeth, but primitive, for instance, in the absence of hypocone on upper molars. The molars decrease in size from M1/m1 to M3/m3; the M3 and m3 are sometimes well reduced. A particularity of the dentition of some paroxyclaenids is the tendency to enlargement and molarisation of the third and fourth upper and lower premolars, generally exceeding the succeeding molars in size. We recently studied unpublished fossils from the first half of the Ypresian: these fossils originate from the French localities of Le Lien (Hérault), Pourcy, Mutigny, Avenay (Marne), and Condé-en-Brie (Aisne). They allow to describe new specimens of Merialus martinae (the oldest paroxyclaenid) and three new species – the oldest paroxyclaenine and two merialines. Their study is the opportunity to review the evolution of this family – the last extensive and comprehensive review of the paroxyclaenids has been published in 1988. The two paroxyclaenid subfamilies – Paroxyclaeninae and Merialinae – are rarely recorded together: this case only occurs in the Paris Basin during the early Eocene (Mutigny, Avenay, Condé-en-Brie). Half of the merialines are present in the Southern European Province, while the paroxyclaenines are only recorded in Northern European Province. The two subfamilies reach their maximum size (+/- 3-4 kg) (e.g., Spaniella, Kopidodon) around the early/middle Eocene boundary (47.8 Myr). However, some smaller paroxyclaenids (body mass around 1 kg) have co-existed together with the larger ones. The small middle Eocene paroxyclaenids, which are as small as the taxa found in the early Eocene, have been the last representatives of the group (Bartonian). The maximum of diversity of the Paroxyclaenids occurred during the Lutetian (middle Eocene). Finally, because the new fossils provide information on the morphology of the earliest paroxyclaenids, their study is the opportunity to question the origin of this group and its relationships among Placentalia. Grant Information: This abstract is a contribution to the project BR/121/A3/PALEURAFRICA funded by the Belgian Science Policy Office.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2017
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New Geological Evidence of Past Earthquakes and Tsunami Along the Nankai Trough, Japan.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
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New Geological Evidence of Past Earthquakes and Tsunami Along the Nankai Trough, Japan
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The east coast of Japan is prone to tsunamigenic megathrust earthquakes, as tragically demonstrated in 2011 by the Tōhoku earthquake (Mw 9.0) and tsunami. The Nankai Trough subduction zone, to the southwest of the area affected by the Tōhoku disaster and facing the densely populated and heavily industrialized southern coastline of central and west Japan, is expected to generate another megathrust earthquake and tsunami in the near future. This subduction zone is, however, segmented and appears to be characterized by a variable rupture mode, involving single- as well as multi-segment ruptures, which has immediate implications for their tsunamigenic potential, and also renders the collection of sufficiently long time records of past earthquakes and tsunami in this region fundamental for an adequate hazard and risk assessment. Over the past three decades, Japanese researchers have acquired a large amount of geological evidence of past earthquakes and tsunami, in many cases extending back in time for several thousands of years. This evidence includes uplifted marine terraces, turbidites, liquefaction features, subsided marshes and tsunami deposits in coastal lakes and lowlands. Despite these efforts, current understanding of the behaviour of the subduction zone still remains limited, due to site-specific evidence creation and preservation thresholds and issues over alternative hypotheses for proposed palaeoseismic evidence and insufficiently precise chronological control. Within the QuakeRecNankai project we are generating a long and coherent time series of megathrust earthquake and tsunami recurrences along the Nankai Trough subduction zone by integrating all existing evidence with new geological records of paleo-tsunami in the Lake Hamana region and of paleo-earthquakes from selected lakes in the Mount Fuji area. We combine extensive fieldwork in coastal plain areas and lakes, with advanced sedimentological and geochemical analyses and innovative dating techniques.
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New insight of the Early Cretaceous Pinaceae diversity from Belgium.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2021
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New insight on the chronology of the Upper Palaeolithic in central and east Europe
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RBINS Staff Publications 2016
