Fossils, rocks and early Cambrian clocks: calibrating body plan assembly and lineage splits in ancestral animals from Gondwana. The precise timing of when animal body plans evolved and rapidly diversified during the Cambrian Explosion remains mysterious. This project will investigate vast collections of exquisitely preserved early-middle Cambrian fossils from Australia to determine the precise order of evolutionary events at the root of the animal tree of life.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE170101325
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$353,705.00
Summary
Opalised fossils and the evolution of Australia's dinosaurs. This project aims to study dinosaur evolution in Australia. Dinosaurs were one of Earth's most successful land vertebrates, but Australia’s perceived poor dinosaur fossil record has stymied significant advances in the field and promoted the view that it was an evolutionary dead-end. This project will challenge this perception by coupling an exceptional but under-valued fossil resource from Lightning Ridge, NSW, with new phylogenetic me ....Opalised fossils and the evolution of Australia's dinosaurs. This project aims to study dinosaur evolution in Australia. Dinosaurs were one of Earth's most successful land vertebrates, but Australia’s perceived poor dinosaur fossil record has stymied significant advances in the field and promoted the view that it was an evolutionary dead-end. This project will challenge this perception by coupling an exceptional but under-valued fossil resource from Lightning Ridge, NSW, with new phylogenetic methodology and synchrotron analyses. The expected result is better understanding of the diversity, biology, and evolutionary relationships of Australian dinosaurs in the context of global dinosaur evolution.Read moreRead less
Linkage Infrastructure, Equipment And Facilities - Grant ID: LE110100134
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$160,240.00
Summary
Sydney basin multi-purpose spectral analysis facility for evolutionary and ecological studies. This near infrared spectroscopy facility at The University of New South Wales will serve the Sydney area biological research community. Near infrared spectroscopy provides quick and robust estimates of key properties of animal and plant tissues, such as age, species and chemical composition.