Nigel Hughes

Trilobites rise from the ashes to reveal ancient map

Tracie Ventimiglia — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 23:53:19 +0000

Trilobites rise from the ashes to reveal ancient map Tracie Ventimiglia Tue, 11/28/2023 - 15:53 More News Jules Bernstein November 20, 2023

Ten newly discovered species of trilobites, hidden for 490 million years in a little-studied part of Thailand, could be the missing pieces in an intricate puzzle of ancient world geography.

Trilobites are extinct sea creatures with half-moon-shaped heads that breathed through their legs. A 100-page monograph in the British journal offers great detail about the new species, including one named in honor of Thai Royal Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

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Nigel Hughes

The trilobites’ guide to surviving environmental change

Tracie Ventimiglia — Mon, 13 Nov 2023 21:50:17 +0000

The trilobites’ guide to surviving environmental change Tracie Ventimiglia Mon, 11/13/2023 - 13:50 More News Jules Bernstein August 07, 2023

Scientists have worked out how one unusual species of trilobite — an ancient, sea-dwelling relative of spiders and lobsters — was able to defend itself against predators and survive a bumpy ride as Earth’s oxygen levels fluctuated.

The seas were filled with trilobites for nearly 300 million years starting in the Cambrian Period, some 520 million years ago. During their time on Earth, which lasted much longer than the dinosaurs, they survived two major episodes of mass extinctions and dominated ocean floor ecosystems.

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Nigel Hughes

Meet UCR’s paleontology power pair

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Oct 2021 19:30:06 +0000

Meet UCR’s paleontology power pair Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 10/29/2021 - 12:30 More News October 14, 2021

"Paleontologist Nigel Hughes has earned one of the highest honors in his field, an achievement made even more remarkable because last year’s winner was another UCR paleontologist — Mary Droser, his wife.

Any paleontologist in the world is eligible for the Society for Sedimentary Geology’s Raymond C. Moore Paleontology Medal. It was unintentional that the society has bestowed it in consecutive years on members of the same family from the same university."

Paleontology, Paleobiology, Paleoecology

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Nigel Hughes

450-million-year-old sea creatures had a leg up on breathing

Anonymous — Mon, 05 Apr 2021 15:19:25 +0000

450-million-year-old sea creatures had a leg up on breathing Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/05/2021 - 08:19 More News March 31, 2021

"A new study has found the first evidence of sophisticated breathing organs in 450-million-year-old sea creatures. Contrary to previous thought, trilobites were leg breathers, with structures resembling gills hanging off their thighs.

Trilobites were a group of marine animals with half-moon-like heads that resembled horseshoe crabs, and they were wildly successful in terms of evolution. Though they are now extinct, they survived for more than 250 million years — longer than the dinosaurs. "

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Sedimentary Geochemistry & Organic Geochemistry

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Nigel Hughes