Many of these books appeared as this new heyday was dawning, and today barely a month goes by without some major new find or journal article.
Much of this activity has been thanks to remarkable finds in China of exquisitely preserved feathered dinosaurs, dinosaur-like birds, bird-like dinosaurs, and early birds themselves. The October 2, 2020 airing of NPR’s Science Friday radio program featured young Jingmai O’Connor, described by some as “the punk rock paleontologist.” Working with the Field Museum of Chicago and the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, Jingmai is in the center of the action when it comes to bird ancestors and ancient birds.
During her Science Friday interview, she noted how the field has benefited because paleontology is still a relatively new discipline in China and thus has generated much excitement and—consequently— much more funding compared to what comes out of the U.S. Treasury. New finds are made on an especially frequent basis as more eyes look to the ground among poor Chinese farmers seeking to supplement incomes with dramatic new fossils.
And all science is benefiting as ancient birds take flight from the stony pages of time!
PULLING TO KEEP GLOWING TREASURES GLOWING
The neighboring towns of Ogdensburg and Franklin, New Jersey, straddle the Franklin-Sterling Hill mining district. The district is world famous both for the economic wealth it once produced (33 million tons of high-grade zinc ore) and for its variety of collectible minerals (357 species). What really put it on the mineral collector’s map was the 91 fluorescent minerals that glow beautifully. Thanks to these and many rare mineral species, it’s been said to be one of the top ten mineral localities in the world!
This story is from the December 2020 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
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This story is from the December 2020 edition of Rock&Gem Magazine.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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MORGAN HILL POPPY JASPER
In California, there are very few places to collect semi-precious stones. Many locations from the past have been either exhausted of the material or the land has been developed.
THE ACORN
The briolette gemstone has the same design attributes of a regular gemstone, however, the pavilion is elongated and the crown is usually domed. This is perfect for an elegant pendant, earrings or a pendulum.
HOW TO PUT A PROTECTIVE CAP ON A CAB
To protect a specimen cab, often a cap is needed. In my case, I had a slab with the because of the color of the background and the pattern. This background had a more silicified consistency than most sandstones. It had no graininess like most sandstone, so I'm inclined to compare it to a jasper. The pattern was typical of a dendrite.
The Resilient Revival of Anne Brontë & Her Stones
For the first time, the Anne Brontë rock collection underwent complete description and identification, and along with Professor Hazel Hutchison of Leeds University and Dr. Enrique Lozano Diz at ELODIZ (a company specializing in spectroscopy analysis), an analysis of that collaboration, Anne Brontë and Geology: A Study of her Collection of Stones, was published in April 2022 in Volume 47, Issue 2 of the peer-reviewed journal, Brontë Studies & Gazette.\"
Amazing Women with Rock-Solid Careers
Explorers, Geologists, Educators & Jewelry Makers...
The Case of the Bleeding Glacier
It's a gory sight called Blood Falls. Ever since British geologist Thomas Griffith Taylor first noted it in 1911, it has been a mystery.
Asteroid Samples Are Said to Hold Invaluable Secrets
If Only Scientists Can Pop the Lid!
Paleontologists Embrace a New Method for Seeing Fossils within Rock
Fossil bone can be delicate. Attempts to remove it from a hard rock matrix by picking and scratching or etching with acids can be time-consuming and/or may end up obliterating that which you hope to study.
Need a Map of the Ocean Floor?
Call in the Seals!
A Step Closer to Hydrogen, the "Climate-Friendly Fuel"
As I reported last June, the world is racing to find sustainably renewable, nonpolluting sources of energy to replace our carbon-based reserves of coal, oil and gas.