Greetings.

Next Tuesday, Susanna Sova will give a talk.

Time & Location:
16.00, 13.3.2012, C108 Physicum

Welcome

—Anton

Dear all,

next Tuesday, Jukka Jernvall will give a talk about their new paper. The talk is titled

Making panda teeth.

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 6.3.2012, C108 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

tomorrow, Anton Äyräväinen will give a talk about

Overview of the Crocodyliforms of Bauru Group.

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 28.2.2012, B112 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

tomorrow we will have a group meeting / conversation session.

If you have interesting articles that consider your or the groups work, feel free to bring them with you.

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 14.2.2012, B112 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

tomorrow, Julia Schultz will give a talk about

Occlusal surface analysis of dryolestoid molars (Mammalia, Cladotheria).

Abstract:

The “primary trigon” and trigonid of the pretribosphenic dryolestoid molars are arranged in a reversed triangular pattern of trigon and “primary trigonid”, which is shared with the more plesiomorphic symmetrodontans (Spalacotheriida). During the embrasure shearing process the lower molars fit into the embrasures between the upper molars. A buccally oriented guiding groove of the unicuspid talonid of dryolestids is homologous to the hypoflexid structure of the tribosphenic molar. In dryolestids the shearing surface of this hypoflexid structure has mainly shearing function with a crushing component. However, in tribosphenic molars the hypoflexid is more steeply inclined and less involved in occlusal contacts. Striation analysis and virtual simulation of the relative movements of the molars using the newly developed “Occlusal Fingerprint Analysis”-software demonstrate a functional difference of the dryolestid and the tribosphenic hypoflexid. In the dryolestid hypoflexid, shearing is the important function during the chewing cycle, when the paracone slides buccally along the guiding groove. The average angle of the striations related to the occlusal plane is steeper than the inclination of the guiding groove in the hypoflexid. This indicates that the lower molar moves in two phases into occlusion during the chewing cycle: an initial puncture-crushing phase and a subsequent shearing phase before full centric occlusion. A typical tribosphenic grinding phase after centric occlusion does not occur in dryolestids. During the evolution of the talonid basin, the shearing area of the hypoflexid was displaced buccally and rotated in mesial direction. In combination with the formation of the talonid basin a functional shift in the chewing cycle from shearing to grinding occurred and the hypoflexid lost its function as a main shearing area.

Recent publications:

Schultz, J.A. & Martin, T. (2011): Wear pattern and functional morphology of dryolestoid molars (Mammalia, Cladotheria). Paläontologische Zeitschrift 85 (3): 269-285.

Lazzari, V., Schultz, J.A., Tafforeau, P., Martin, T. (2010): Occlusal pattern in paulchoffatiid multituberculates and the evolution of cusp morphology in mammaliamorphs with rodent-like dentitions. Journal of Mammalian Evolution 17: 177-192.

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 7.2.2012, C108 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

tomorrow, Ekaterina Petrova will give a talk about

How to describe the enigmatic tooth morphology of the rhinoceros Elasmotherium (Fischer, 1808) from the Late Pliocene – Middle Pleistocene of Eastern Europe?

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 31.1.2012, B112 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

tomorrow, Juan López Cantalapiedra (Paleobiology Department of the National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid, Spain) will give a talk about

The diversification of the ruminants and its connections to ecology.

A short description of Juan’s research:

” One of the main questions in paleontology and evolution refers to diversification patterns. Whether speciation and extinction events are bunched in time, concomitant with climatic or tectonic episodes, or whether such events are affected by evolutionary innovations are major issues in macroevolution that still remain little understood. In my thesis, I tackled these problems using a phylogenetic framework and ruminants as my study group. Specifically, I studied the impact of diet and ecological specialization on their speciation rates. I also discovered that the most important shifts in ruminant diversification occurred in concert with other faunal pulses and climatic events. ”

http://biochange-lab.academia.edu/JuanLCantalapiedra/About
http://pmmv.com.es/node/17

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 24.1.2012, C108 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

Kurtén Club starts again this spring. Björn Kurtén Club is a forum for everyone intressed in paleontology. Main participants are paleontology students, researchers and professors. This year, we have every other week a presentation/introduction, held either by one of the group members or a visiting lecturer, and every other week a group meeting/conversation session. Visit our blog for more information: https://blogs.helsinki.fi/bk-club/ .

First meeting will be held tomorrow, 17.1.2012, at 16.00(-17.00) in room B112 (near Mikael’s office), Physicum, Kumpula. Next meetings will be held every Tuesday at the same time in the C108 (unless otherwise announced). Exceptionally this January and February every other meeting will be held in C108 and every other in B112. The program will be available on Kurtén Clubs blog. Suggestions for possible topics and speakers are most welcome.

Tomorrow, Hui Tang will talk about
News from AGU.

Time & Loc.:
16.00, 17.1.2012, B112 Physicum

Welcome,
Allu

Dear all,

there’s no meeting today. Kurtén Club will have a holiday season break and continue after mid-January.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Best,
Allu