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Book Review: When Humans Nearly Vanished

Reviewed by Andrej Spiridonov (Vilnius University, Lithuania & Nature Research Centre, Lithuania)

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Book Review: Animal Movement

Reviewed by Ephraim Nissan (London, England)

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Book Review: Vertebrate Skeletal Histology and Paleohistology

Reviewed by James Farlow (Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN)

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Book Review: Trilobites of the British Isles

Reviewed by Phil Novack-Gottshall (Benedictine University, Lisle, IL)

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Book Review: Penguins: The Ultimate Guide

Reviewed by Ephraim Nissan (London, England)

 
De Roy, T., M. Jones, and J. Cornthwaite, eds. 2022. Penguins: The Ultimate Guide. Second edition. Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 240 pp. ($28.00 cloth, $19.60 e-book with 20% PS discount.)

This lavishly illustrated, large-format book provides a full-rounded treatment of all extant penguin species, but it also is an eye-opener on fossil and subfossil penguin species. Part 1 is by Tui de Roy, and covers their life cycle, the “jackass” group of braying penguins, Antarctica’s three long-tailed species (the Adélie, chinstrap, and Gentoo penguins), the crested penguins, the rockhoppers, the Little penguin of Oceania, and finally the King and Emperor penguins of Antarctica.

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Book Review: Dragons’ Teeth and Thunderstones: The Quest for the Meaning of Fossils

Reviewed by Andrej Spiridonov (Vilnius University, Lithuania & Nature Research Centre, Lithuania)

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2022 Paleontological Society Fellows

We are delighted to announce the newest Paleontological Society Fellows:  Annalisa Berta (San Diego State University), Carlos Jaramillo (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute), Johnny Waters (University of West Georgia and Appalachian State University), and Lisa White (UC Museum of Paleontology). 

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Paleontological Society Conference Travel Grants to Support Inclusion

The Paleontological Society recognizes the importance of educational and research practices that foster diversity and inclusion. We value the contribution of diverse opinions, strategies, and experiences at the sessions, short courses, and workshops that we sponsor at meetings of the Geological Society of America and the North American Paleontological Convention and other conferences (such as SACNAS and NABG) as they are an integral part to the advancement of our field. However, many of our colleagues who work extensively on inclusive educational and research practices might not qualify for research-based funding for conference travel from their home institutions. In addition, colleagues from groups underrepresented in paleontology, in a career transition (between undergrad and grad, grad to post-doc, post-doc to position), or in adjunct, teaching, museum, or part-time positions are often the most vulnerable and most likely to leave paleontology and science. It is crucial that we ensure that these members are able to attend and participate in our meetings as well as network with community members who can provide the support and mentorship that is needed in these critical transitions or positions. Thus, the Paleontological Society is offering competitive conference travel grants to help offset the expenses PS members from underrepresented and/or at-risk groups who would be unable to attend these meetings without travel support.

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2022 GSA Sessions Endorsed by Paleo Society

There are 20+ Topical & 8 Discipline Sessions at GSA Connects 2022 that are endorsed by the Paleo Society! 

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PS 2022 Short Course on Ecological Niche Modeling

Ecological Models Applied to Fossil Data

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Through a glass darkly: citation rankings in paleontology

- Roy E. Plotnick, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago.

In the old days, before the advent of the internet and the personal computer, you kept up on the scientific literature by going to the library and examining the stacks of new journals that had just arrived. If you wanted to pursue an area of research and write your own paper, you searched the library stacks, guided by the list of references in the back of published papers and the huge published volumes, such as the Bibliography and Index of Geology, that catalogued the papers on the subject. You may also find out, perhaps guided by more senior scientists, that there were certain critical papers in your area that you needed to read. 

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PS Journals Editorial Intern Positions

The Paleontological Society Journals are seeking two Editorial Interns to attend the 2022 Geological Society of America Annual Meeting and assist our editorial boards in recruiting new paper submissions. Interns will get an inside look at academic publishing and assist Journal of Paleontology and Paleobiology in diversifying our content and our authorship. Each intern will receive a $2000 stipend to cover the costs of attending the 2022 GSA Annual Meeting. 

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The Paleo Society Announces the Implementation of NAVEX and Vault for Reporting Alleged Code of Conduct Violations

The Paleontological Society has entered into agreements with two services to facilitate the reporting of alleged violations to our Code of Conduct. These go under the names of NAVEX and Vault.

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Punctuated Equilibrium Survey

The year 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1972 paper by Niles Eldredge and Stephen J. Gould that introduced the concept of punctuated equilibrium to the fields of paleontology and evolutionary biology.

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Future Leaders in Paleontology at GSA Connects 2022

The Paleontological Society is pleased to announce the fourth annual “Future Leaders in Paleontology” topical session at the 2022 GSA Annual Meeting. The goal of the session is to showcase the outstanding work of our student members in a high-profile setting. The Society will limit the number of paleontological sessions running concurrently with this special session, in order to have a prominent platform for our student members.

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PS is proud to support the Tröger Memorial Inoceramid Workshop

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Palaeontological Association's Annual Meeting 2022

The Palaeontological Association's Annual Meeting: Cork, Ireland (July 18-24, 2022)

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Support The PalSIRP Sepkoski Grants!

The Paleontological Society International Research Program, or PalSIRP, is the Paleontological Society’s answer to disparities in funding for basic research in low- and middle-income countries around the world. While the program has expanded in important ways over the past two and a half decades, it has the potential to do more to address global inequities in the funding of paleontological research. Please read on for a description of this vital initiative and, if you are interested in supporting its goals, you can donate at: https://www.paleosoc.org/donate and choose PalSIRP Sepkoski Grants. 

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Call for Applications: Paleontological Society Funding for Meetings

Due: 5 PM (Pacific time zone), Friday March 4, 2022

Paleontological Society funds are available to support meetings or sessions organized by society members. Our first priority is to provide up to US$1000 to support stand-alone meetings, where your group is organizing the entire conference. If additional funds are available, we can also support speakers at individual sessions within larger meetings. If you are organizing a topical session within a larger meeting, we can provide US$400 per invited speaker for up to two presenters.

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NAS Announces Dr. Mary Droser as Charles D. Walcott Medal Recipient

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Mary Droser has received the National Academy of Sciences Charles D. Walcott Medal for her studies of early animal evolution and ecology. 

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