Author: dgold

From the UCD press release: In 2022, a team led by Yale University researchers used traces of biomolecules from fossils to measure metabolism in animals that died millions of years ago. Their data showed, they claimed, that endothermy evolved even before dinosaurs appeared, in the common ancestor of both dinosaurs and the flying reptiles, pterosaurs. Now a new analysis of the data by paleontologists from UC Davis challenges this interpretation. The study is published Sept. 6 in Nature.” A great collaboration from the whole paleo team at UC Davis–myself, Dr. Motani, Dr. Carlson, and Dr. Vermeij!

The New York Times covered research on some of the oldest jellyfish fossils yet discovered. What does Dr. Gold think about this discovery? You can find out using this link.

Congratulations to Liyu for receiving an NSF Jumpstart award! This award provides two months of funding to help her get started before she officially starts this fall in Dr. Alyssa Griffin’s lab!

Congratulations to Tessa and Chris for receiving Durrell awards for the 2023/2024 academic year!

Congratulations to Tessa for receiving a Paleontological Society Research Grant! This will fund field work in the Wheeler Shale. So excited to see the results!

Many marine animals build their shells and skeletons out of calcium carbonate. When ocean water becomes more acidic–as happens when the climate warms–calcium carbonate should be harder to extract. This has many scientists worries about the fate of corals, molluscs, and other important marine life. Indeed, many studies have shown that certain species have trouble building their shells when their water is more acidic, but many other studies do not. What could explain this variation? Dr. Gold explores this question with Geerat Vermeij in a new paper, “Deep resilience: An evolutionary perspective on calcification in an age of ocean acidification.” It is available for free at Frontiers in Physiology. DOI link: https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1092321

We are thrilled to learn that our lab has received a COVID-19 Research Accelerator Funding Track (CRAFT 2.0) award. The UC Davis Office of Research launched this competitive program to support research that was negatively affected by the pandemic. The funds will provide a valuable opportunity to continue our research on moon jellyfish.

The work Hannah presented at the Geological Society of America continues to get more and more attention! Two new articles interview Hannah, as well as our collaborator Tsim Schneider, and dive into our research on clams. Links to the articles are below: Hakai Magazine: Clamshells Face the Acid Test The Atlantic: Some Indigenous People Crushed Up Dead Clams. Maybe We Should Too?