The first macrofossil record of parasitic plant flowers from an Eocene Baltic amber.

Parasitic plants left little trace in the macrofossil record, making their evolutionary history mysterious. Baltic amber and other fossil lagerstätts have provided plenty of angiosperm fossils, there are only three reports of fossil leaves (cf. and sp.

Sixty-one years later: a second species of Scolebythus Evans (Hymenoptera: Scolebythidae) from southern Madagascar.

Despite recent advances in the systematics and taxonomy of the relictual family Scolebythidae, the type genus Scolebythus Evans, 1963 remained monospecific for more than sixty years. Here, I describe and illustrate Scolebythus bekilyensis sp. nov.

A new hemeroscopid dragonfly (Odonata, Anisoptera) from the Lower Cretaceous of the Jiuquan Basin, northwestern China.

A new hemeroscopid dragonfly, Parahemeroscopus jiuquanensis gen. et sp. nov.

A new burmaeshnid dragonfly (Odonata, Anisoptera, Aeshnoptera) from mid-Cretaceous Kachin amber, north Myanmar.

The fifth burmaeshnid dragonfly, Neoaeschna kachinensis gen. et sp. nov.

Ediacaran origin and Ediacaran-Cambrian diversification of Metazoa.

The timescale of animal diversification has been a focus of debate over how evolutionary history should be calibrated to geologic time. Molecular clock analyses have invariably estimated a Cryogenian or Tonian origin of animals while unequivocal animal fossils first occur in the Ediacaran. However, redating of key Ediacaran biotas and the discovery of several Ediacaran crown-Metazoa prompt recalibration of molecular clock analyses.

Historical record of heavy metals in the mollusk shells of the Nile Delta.

Identifying the baseline status and the timing of ecosystem disturbances are essential for restoration programs. The historical bioaccumulation of heavy metals was assessed from an 80-cm-long core from the Manzala Lagoon (Nile Delta). The heavy metal concentrations increased slightly upward and peaked around 1964, after the completion of Aswan High Dam.

 sp. nov. (Bacillariophyta) from the Shun River in Hunan Province, China.

A new species, , was found in the Shun River of Hunan Province, southern China, and its morphology was described based on light and scannning electron microscope obervations. is characterized by its lanceolate valve outline, apiculate valve apices, slightly undulate valve margins, mostly biseriate striae, variable central area, and closed valvocopula. Many abnormal valves of were observed in the samples investigated and the most frequent morphological abnormalities consisted of a lack of symmetry relative to the apical axis caused by a unilateral expansion in the middle part of the valve.

Unique Jurassic Ovaries Shed a New Light on the Nature of Carpels.

Enclosed ovules are a reproductive feature restricted to angiosperms. Although this feature can be used as a criterion for identifying fossil angiosperms, how ovules are enclosed and the nature of the placenta are still foci of debates. A reason underlying these controversies is the lack of reproductive organ fossils shedding light on these issues.

: A Fossil Link between Conifers and Angiosperms.

The flowering plants (angiosperms) are the dominant and defining group of the Earth ecosystems today. However, from which group and by what way flowers, especially their gynoecia (the key characteristic organs of angiosperms), are derived have been key questions in botany, and have remained unanswered despite botanists' efforts over centuries. Such an embarrassing situation can be attributed to the lack of plants with partially enclosed ovules, which are supposed fill a position between gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Patagonian dust, Agulhas Current, and Antarctic ice-rafted debris contributions to the South Atlantic Ocean over the past 150,000 years.

Disentangling inputs of aeolian dust, ice-rafted debris (IRD), and eroded continental detritus delivered by ocean currents to marine sediments provide important insights into Earth System processes and climate. This study uses Sr-Nd-Pb isotope ratios of the continent-derived (lithogenic) fraction in deep-sea core TN057-6 from the subantarctic Southern Ocean southwest of Africa over the past 150,000 y to identify source regions and quantify their relative contributions and fluxes utilizing a mixing model set in a Bayesian framework. The data are compared with proxies from parallel core Ocean Drilling Program Site 1090 and newly presented data from potential South America aeolian dust source areas (PSAs), allowing for an integrated investigation into atmospheric, oceanic, and cryospheric dynamics.

The Perizonium Ultrastructure, Divided Apical Pore Fields, Various Pore Occlusions and Visible Intermissio of (Bacillariophyceae) with Descriptions of Four New Species.

The initial valves of two species are observed under a scanning electron microscope, and the perizonium ultrastructure of is revealed for the first time. The perizonium is composed of alternate nodes and internodes and lacks transverse perizonium bands. Four new species, sp.

Flower Buds Confirmed in the Early Cretaceous of China.

The Yixian Formation (Lower Cretaceous) in China is famous worldwide for its fossils of early angiosperms, but there has been only one record of flower buds () hitherto, in which only the surface of the flower bud was documented while no internal details were known. Such a partial knowledge of flower buds hinders our understanding of the evolution of flowers, and this knowledge lacuna needs to be filled. Our new specimen was collected from an outcrop of the Yixian Formation (Barremian-Aptian, Lower Cretaceous) near Dawangzhangzi, Lingyuan, Liaoning, China.

The First Cretaceous Epyrine Wasp (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae): A New Genus and Species from Early Cenomanian Kachin Amber.

The Epyrinae are the second largest subfamily of Bethylidae and the most diverse in the fossil record. However, although six of the nine bethylid subfamilies are known during the Cretaceous (either as compression or amber fossils), the Epyrinae were hitherto unknown before the lower Eocene. In this contribution, we report the discovery of the oldest member of this group, based on a female specimen from the early Cenomanian amber of Kachin, Myanmar.

Contrasting water-use strategies to climate warming in white birch and larch in a boreal permafrost region.

The effects of rising atmospheric CO2 concentrations (Ca) with climate warming on intrinsic water-use efficiency and radial growth in boreal forests are still poorly understood. We measured tree-ring cellulose δ13C, δ18O, and tree-ring width in Larix dahurica (larch) and Betula platyphylla (white birch), and analyzed their relationships with climate variables in a boreal permafrost region of northeast China over past 68 years covering a pre-warming period (1951-1984; base period) and a warm period (1985-2018; warm period). We found that white birch but not larch significantly increased their radial growth over the warm period.

Soil organic nitrogen variation shaped by diverse agroecosystems in a typical karst area: evidence from isotopic geochemistry.

Background: Soil organic nitrogen (SON) levels can respond effectively to crop metabolism and are directly related to soil productivity. However, simultaneous comparisons of SON dynamics using isotopic tracing in diverse agroecosystems are lacking, especially in karst areas with fragile ecology.

Methods: To better understand the response of SON dynamics to environmental changes under the coupling of natural and anthropogenic disturbances, SON contents and their stable N isotope (δN) compositions were determined in abandoned cropland (AC, = 16), grazing shrubland (GS, = 11), and secondary forest land (SF, = 20) from a typical karst area in southwest China.

On the nomenclatural status of type genera in Coleoptera (Insecta).

More than 4700 nominal family-group names (including names for fossils and ichnotaxa) are nomenclaturally available in the order Coleoptera. Since each family-group name is based on the concept of its type genus, we argue that the stability of names used for the classification of beetles depends on accurate nomenclatural data for each type genus. Following a review of taxonomic literature, with a focus on works that potentially contain type species designations, we provide a synthesis of nomenclatural data associated with the type genus of each nomenclaturally available family-group name in Coleoptera.

Ancient Mitogenomes Reveal the Maternal Genetic History of East Asian Dogs.

Recent studies have suggested that dogs were domesticated during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) in Siberia, which contrasts with previous proposed domestication centers (e.g. Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia).

Transformation of the pectoral girdle in pennaraptorans: critical steps in the formation of the modern avian shoulder joint.

Important transformations of the pectoral girdle are related to the appearance of flight capabilities in the Dinosauria. Previous studies on this topic focused mainly on paravians yet recent data suggests flight evolved in dinosaurs several times, including at least once among non-avialan paravians. Thus, to fully explore the evolution of flight-related avian shoulder girdle characteristics, it is necessary to compare morphology more broadly.

Application of Three-Dimension Printing Nano-Carbonated-Hydroxylapatite to the Repair of Defects in Rabbit Bone.

Introduction: Hydroxylapatite (HAp) is a biodegradable bone graft material with high biocompatibility. However, the clinical application of HAp has been limited due to the poor absorption rate in vivo.

Methods: In this study, carbonated hydroxylapatite (CHAp) with a chemical composition similar to natural bone was synthesized.

Megafossils of Betulaceae from the Oligocene of Qaidam Basin and their paleoenvironmental and phytogeographic implications.

Understanding the paleoenvironment and phytogeographical history of the Tibetan Plateau, China relies on discovering new plant fossils. The Qaidam Basin has long been regarded as an ideal 'field laboratory' to investigate the paleoclimate and paleobiological evolution of the northern Tibetan Plateau. However, fossil angiosperms from the Qaidam Basin are rare, and our knowledge of its paleovegetation is poor.