Weird ancient tree from before dinosaurs found in Canadian quarry (www.cbc.ca)
from RandAlThor@lemmy.ca to world@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 17:55
https://lemmy.ca/post/14577117

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autotldr@lemmings.world on 02 Feb 2024 18:00 next collapse

This is the best summary I could come up with:


She referred to a famous children’s picture book by Dr. Seuss that features fantastic, colourful trees decimated to produce clothing called “thneeds.”

Like the truffula, the new fossil species, Sanfordiacaulis densifolia, was a little taller than a human, but not extremely tall (about three metres), and had a spindly stem poking into a dense mop of long leaves.

Robert Gastaldo, an emeritus professor at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, was among the paleobotanists called in to help identify and study the unusual plant.

Study co-author Adrian Park, a geologist with the New Brunswick Department of Natural Resources and Energy Development, found evidence of earthquake-triggered landslides at the fossil site.

That said, Sandfordiacaulis did have fleeting success — more digging led the researchers to find another four specimens, and it turned out that many of its leaves and branches had previously been collected, though not identified, suggesting it was quite a common plant in its forest.

Cindy Looy is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, who teaches a course in paleobotany and who studies how ancient plants responded to major environmental changes, such as mass extinctions and deglaciations.


The original article contains 1,016 words, the summary contains 187 words. Saved 82%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!

EdibleFriend@lemmy.world on 02 Feb 2024 19:32 next collapse

Is it going to kill us all?

Please?

TransplantedSconie@lemm.ee on 03 Feb 2024 01:09 next collapse

You don’t know me

But my name’s Cy

I’m just the O’Hare Delivery Guy

But it seems like trees might be worth a try

So I say let it grow

Betch@lemmy.world on 03 Feb 2024 03:06 next collapse

In New-Brunswick, eh? I bet Irving is still somehow to blame for it’s extinction.

fiat_lux@kbin.social on 03 Feb 2024 05:27 collapse

The word "fossil" could have made an appearance in this article title, and yet it is noticeably and somewhat misleadingly absent.