Two Jersey students win awards for natural history work
Mr Smith is a PhD student at the Jersey International Centre for Advanced Studies. His project, 'Mow vs Moo', is aimed at comparing the success of different options of grass management in terms of biodiversity and carbon stocks.University of Exeter PhD student Mr Monet is tracking key species in his study, including the critically endangered Tope shark and three commercially important skate species.Societe Jersiaise said it continues to welcome applications for grants which are detailed on its website.
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The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
Scientists discover new dinosaur species with ‘eye-catching sail used for mating'
A new species of dinosaur has been discovered which had an 'eye-catching sail' along its back and tail which might have been used to attract mates, The new iguanodontian dinosaur, whose fossils were found on the Isle of Wight, was identified by PhD student at the University of Portsmouth and the Natural History Museum Jeremy Lockwood. The retired GP has decided to name the species after sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur who comes from the island off the south coast of England and who became famous for setting a world record for the fastest solo non-stop voyage around the world in 2005. The dinosaur has been given the name Istiorachis macaruthurae with the first word meaning 'sail spine' and the second referring to Dame Ellen's surname. Before Dr Lockwood's analysis, the fossils, which date back 125 millions years, were assumed to have belonged to one of the two known iguanodontian dinosaur species from the Isle of Wight. He said: 'While the skeleton wasn't as complete as some of the others that have been found, no-one had really taken a close look at these bones before 'It was thought to be just another specimen of one of the existing species, but this one had particularly long neural spines, which was very unusual.' Dr Lockwood explained, in his study published in the scientific journal Papers in Palaeontology, that the animal would have probably possessed a pronounced sail-like structure along its back. He said: 'Evolution sometimes seems to favour the extravagant over the practical. While the exact purpose of such features has long been debated – with theories ranging from body heat regulation to fat storage – researchers believe that the most likely explanation in this case is visual signalling, possibly as part of a sexual display and this usually is because of sexual selection. 'In modern reptiles, sail structures often show up more prominently in males, suggesting that these attributes evolved to impress mates or intimidate rivals. We think Istiorachis may have been doing much the same.' For the study, the researchers compared the fossilised bones with a database of similar dinosaur back bones which allowed them to see how these sail-like formations had evolved. Dr Lockwood said: 'We showed that Istiorachis's spines weren't just tall – they were more exaggerated than is usual in Iguanodon-like dinosaurs, which is exactly the kind of trait you'd expect to evolve through sexual selection.' Professor Susannah Maidment, of the Natural History Museum, said: 'Jeremy's careful study of fossils that have been in museum collections for several years has brought to life the iguandontian dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. 'His work highlights the importance of collections like those at Dinosaur Isle, where fossil specimens are preserved in perpetuity and can be studied and revised in the light of new data and new ideas about evolution. 'Over the past five years, Jeremy has single-handedly quadrupled the known diversity of the smaller iguanodontians on the Isle of Wight, and Istiorachis demonstrates we still have much to learn about Early Cretaceous ecosystems in the UK.'
The Independent
35 minutes ago
- The Independent
New dinosaur species discovered with ‘eye-catching sail' along its back
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur which had an 'eye-catching sail' along its back and tail which might have been used to attract mates. The new iguanodontian dinosaur, whose fossils were found on the Isle of Wight, was identified by PhD student at the University of Portsmouth and the Natural History Museum Jeremy Lockwood. The retired GP has decided to name the species after sailor Dame Ellen MacArthur who comes from the island off the south coast of England and who became famous for setting a world record for the fastest solo non-stop voyage around the world in 2005. The dinosaur has been given the name Istiorachis macaruthurae with the first word meaning 'sail spine' and the second referring to Dame Ellen's surname. Before Dr Lockwood's analysis, the fossils, which date back 125 millions years, were assumed to have belonged to one of the two known iguanodontian dinosaur species from the Isle of Wight. He said: 'While the skeleton wasn't as complete as some of the others that have been found, no-one had really taken a close look at these bones before 'It was thought to be just another specimen of one of the existing species, but this one had particularly long neural spines, which was very unusual.' Dr Lockwood explained, in his study published in the scientific journal Papers in Palaeontology, that the animal would have probably possessed a pronounced sail-like structure along its back. He said: ' Evolution sometimes seems to favour the extravagant over the practical. While the exact purpose of such features has long been debated – with theories ranging from body heat regulation to fat storage – researchers believe that the most likely explanation in this case is visual signalling, possibly as part of a sexual display and this usually is because of sexual selection. 'In modern reptiles, sail structures often show up more prominently in males, suggesting that these attributes evolved to impress mates or intimidate rivals. We think Istiorachis may have been doing much the same.' For the study, the researchers compared the fossilised bones with a database of similar dinosaur back bones which allowed them to see how these sail-like formations had evolved. Dr Lockwood said: 'We showed that Istiorachis's spines weren't just tall – they were more exaggerated than is usual in Iguanodon-like dinosaurs, which is exactly the kind of trait you'd expect to evolve through sexual selection.' Professor Susannah Maidment, of the Natural History Museum, said: 'Jeremy's careful study of fossils that have been in museum collections for several years has brought to life the iguandontian dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. 'His work highlights the importance of collections like those at Dinosaur Isle, where fossil specimens are preserved in perpetuity and can be studied and revised in the light of new data and new ideas about evolution. 'Over the past five years, Jeremy has single-handedly quadrupled the known diversity of the smaller iguanodontians on the Isle of Wight, and Istiorachis demonstrates we still have much to learn about Early Cretaceous ecosystems in the UK.'
The Guardian
36 minutes ago
- The Guardian
New species of dinosaur with ‘eye-catching sail' discovered on Isle of Wight
Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur with an 'eye-catching sail' along its back and tail that may have been used to attract mates. The iguanodontian dinosaur, whose fossils were found on the Isle of Wight, was identified by Dr Jeremy Lockwood, a PhD student at the University of Portsmouth and the Natural History Museum. The retired GP has named it Istiorachis macaruthurae, a mix of 'sail spine' and a reference to Ellen MacArthur, who set a world record for the fastest solo non-stop sailing voyage around the world in 2005. Prior to Lockwood's analysis, the fossils, which date back 125m years, were assumed to have belonged to one of the two known dinosaur species from the Isle of Wight. But after comparing the preserved bones with a database of similar dinosaur back bones, it became clear the fossil was unique. Lockwood said: 'While the skeleton wasn't as complete as some of the others that have been found, no one had really taken a close look at these bones before … unlike the others, this one had particularly long neural spines, which was very unusual.' He said the animal would probably have had a pronounced sail-like structure along its back. 'Evolution sometimes seems to favour the extravagant over the practical. While the exact purpose of such features has long been debated – with theories ranging from body heat regulation to fat storage – researchers believe that the most likely explanation in this case is visual signalling, possibly as part of a sexual display to attract a mate. 'In modern reptiles, sail structures often show up more prominently in males, suggesting that these attributes evolved to impress mates or intimidate rivals. We think Istiorachis may have been doing much the same.' Prof Susannah Maidment, of the Natural History Museum, said: 'Jeremy's careful study of fossils that have been in museum collections for several years has brought to life the iguandontian dinosaurs of the Isle of Wight. 'His work highlights the importance of collections like those at Dinosaur Isle, where fossil specimens are preserved in perpetuity and can be studied and revised in the light of new data and new ideas about evolution.'
