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Almost a half-century ago excavations at Natural Trap Cave (NTC) began to yield evidence of the steppe paleoecology along the western slope of the Bighorn Mountains in north central Wyoming. The first decade of fieldwork led to the discovery of a diverse fauna that existed at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum. Stratigraphic deposits below the entrance of the cave were studied soon after excavations began, but never formally published. Although stratigraphy, taphonomy, and depositional circumstances were briefly discussed over the following years, little has been done to correlate the numerous stratigraphic schemes used by various authors. In this study, four stratigraphic sections were measured and analysed to establish an easily modifiable lithostratigraphic system of nomenclature. We provide the first correlations of all stratigraphic nomenclature used throughout excavations at NTC to facilitate comparisons with current and previous collections and publications. By leveraging more than 100 radioisotopic dates we developed an age-depth model and chronostratigraphic framework to further interrogate spatiotemporal relationships between strata, paleoenvironmental proxies, and fossil assemblages. Deposition is shown to be discontinuous; sediment accumulation in the study area is restricted to the buildup through peak penultimate and Last Glacial maxima. More recent (

We employed the widely-tested biophysiological modeling software, Niche Mapper™ to investigate the metabolic function of Late Triassic dinosaursPlateosaurusandCoelophysisduring global greenhouse conditions. We tested them under a variety of assumptions about resting metabolic rate, evaluated within six microclimate models that bound paleoenvironmental conditions at 12° N paleolatitude, as determined by sedimentological and isotopic proxies for climate within the Chinle Formation of the southwestern United States. Sensitivity testing of metabolic variables and simulated “metabolic chamber” analyses support elevated “ratite-like” metabolic rates and intermediate “monotreme-like” core temperature ranges in these species of early saurischian dinosaur. Our results suggest small theropods may have needed partial to full epidermal insulation in temperate environments, while fully grown prosauropods would have likely been heat stressed in open, hot environments and should have been restricted to cooler microclimates such as dense forests (under any vegitative cover) or those seen at higher latitudes and elevations. This is in agreement with the Late Triassic fossil record and may have contributed to the latitudinal gap in the Triassic prosauropod record.

The interaction of metalloproteins with oxides has implications not only for bioanalytical systems and biosensors but also in the areas of biomimetic photovoltaic devices, bioremediation, and bacterial metal reduction. Here, we investigate mitochondrial ferricytochrome c (Cyt c) co-sorption with 0.01 and 0.1 M phosphate on hematite (alpha-Fe2O3) surfaces as a function of pH (2-11). Although Cyt c sorption to hematite in the presence of phosphate is consistent with electrostatic attraction, other forces act upon Cyt c as well. The occurrence of multilayer adsorption, and our AFM observations, suggest that Cyt c aggregates as the pH approaches the Cyt c isoelectric point. In solution, methionine coordination of heme Fe occurs only between pH 3 and 7, but in the presence of phosphate this coordination is retained up to pH 10. Electrochemical evidence for the presence of native Cyt c occurs down to pH 3 and up to pH 10 in the absence of phosphate, and this range is extended to pH 2 and 11 in the presence of phosphate. Cyt c that initially adsorbs to a hematite surface may undergo conformation change and coat the surface with unfolded protein such that subsequently adsorbing protein is more likely to retain the native conformational state. AFM provides evidence for rapid sorption kinetics for Cyt c co-sorbed with 0.01 or 0.1 M phosphate. Cyt c co-sorbed with 0.01 M phosphate appears to unfold on the surface of hematite while Cyt c co-sorbed with 0.1 M phosphate possibly retains native conformation due to aggregation.

Electron transfer between redox active proteins and mineral oxides is important in a variety of natural as well as technological processes, including electron transfer from dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria to minerals. One of the pathways that could trigger electron transfer between proteins and minerals is redox-linked conformation change. We present electrochemical evidence that mitochondrial cytochrome c (Mcc) undergoes significant conformation change upon interaction with hematite and indium-tin oxide (ITO) surfaces. The apparent adsorption-induced conformation change causes the protein to become more reducing, which makes it able to transfer electrons to the hematite conduction band. Although Mcc is not a protein thought to be involved in interaction with mineral surfaces, it shares (or can be conformed so as to share) some characteristics with multiheme outer-membrane cytochromes thought to be involved in the transfer of electrons from dissimilatory iron-reducing bacteria to ferric minerals during respiration. We present evidence that a 10.1 kDa monohoeme cytochrome isolated and purified from Acidiphilium cryptum, with properties similar to those of Mcc, also undergoes conformation change as a result of interaction with hematite surfaces.

There are many creatures that capture our imaginationand spark our interest in the evolutionary history of life,but few are as compelling as the great rulers of theMesozoic, the dinosaurs. Many books are available tothe avid student of these extinct icons of evolution,ranging from the encyclopedic (Currie and Padian 1997)to the specific (Carpenter 2000), but few tell the story ofthe ecological stage upon which the dinosaurs danced aswell as Scott D. Sampson.Dinosaur Odyssey: Fossil Threads in the Web of LifeLike many good storytellers, Sampson has firsthandknowledge of his subject. He starts with a personalaccount of an expedition to the island of Madagascar(chapter 1). Throughout the narrative, Sampson weavesa delicate tapestry that includes observations of modernecology, diversity, and environment and links thosethreads to the distant past. In this manner, the reader istakenthrougha worldofintricaterelationshipsdemonstratingthe importance and function of the often-overlooked playersof the dinosaurian stage. All of the players, whether microbeor Monolophosaurus, are given their time in the spotlight,providing a contextual framework that makes the dinosaurodyssey all the more fascinating.Imagine three stories, one of climate, geography, andevolution, a second composed of hidden faunal playersand other ecological components (think poop, soil, worms,insects, and bacteria), and the last featuring the stars of theshow: dinosaurs. The three storylines are integral to oneanother, and the book is written so that each successivestory incorporates componentsof previous chapters.In moreways than one, the interwoven organization of Sampson’sbook mirrors the natural world it attempts to portray.The first third of the book (chapters 1–6) takes a broadapproach to understanding biological complexities and con-tingencies throughout Earth’s dynamic history. The reader istaken on a journey that explores paleoclimate, tectonics,global nutrient cycling, and the importance of the trophicpyramid in paleoecology. Along the journey, the functionalrole of primary producers who convert sunlight into aneffective ecological currency is further investigated, alongwith characteristics that define what a dinosaur is (andisn’t!). Sampson smoothly discusses evolutionary theorythrough several guided examples that relate ecology anddinosaurs to the fundamental concepts of natural selection.The middle third of the book (chapters 7–11) begins totruly delve into the details surrounding the environment,anatomy, and physiology of several major groups of dino-saurs and their supporting ecological cast. In this section,Sampson further weaves together various strands of thenatural world, such as the flow of energy from plants toherbivores to carnivores and back through a myriad ofinteractions and processes. This portion of the book alsoincludes a wonderful discussion of dinosaur behavior andbiology, including feeding mechanics, metabolism andgrowth, hunting, and reproduction.By this point, the reader has toured multiple ecologicalfacets of the prehistoric world, from plants harnessing thesun’s energy to higher up the trophic ladder, through thedigestive tract of a carnivorous dinosaur and out the otherend, only to be recycled once more. The last third of thebook (chapters 12–15) pulls all of these strands togetheruntil the reader sees a completed picture of the rulers of

Keywords Owen.Huxley.Philosophy of science.Ape brain debate.Humanistic perspectiveIn the years immediately following the 1859 publication ofDarwin’s Origin of Species (Darwin 1859), a disagreementover man’s place in nature and his relationship to the greatapes was debated between two iconic nineteenth-centuryscientists, Richard Owen and Thomas Henry Huxley.Though many readers will likely be familiar with the clashbetween Darwin’s critics and defenders such as Huxley,who was famously sharpening his claws and beak inreadiness, few are likely to be as conversant with thehistory and philosophy underlying the arguments. Christo-pher E. Cosans’ Owen’s Ape and Darwin’s Bulldog: BeyondDarwinism and Creationism was published on the 150thanniversary of Mr. Darwin’s Origin and tells a detailedstory of the historical, philosophical, economic, and culturalstage upon which the “ape brain debate” between Owenand Huxley ensued.Similar to both Huxley and Owen, Christopher Cosanshas a firsthand perspective of the importance of anatomicaldissection and its place in the study of the relationshipsbetween organisms; in fact he has gone so far as toreproduce the dissections that originally demonstrated theanatomical structures central to the ape brain debate. It islaudable that a philosopher of science is so well versed inthe skills of the “dirty dissecting theatre.” Ultimately,Cosans leads the reader through a maze of philosophicalterminology and concepts all the while using the Huxley–Owen debate as a vehicle to demonstrate the differencesbetween scientific materialism and the humanistic realistperspective and how they relate to modern science, ethics,and society.Cosans begins by taking the reader on a journeythrough nineteenth-century Western philosophy of sci-ence with the parable of the “hippopotamus major” inCharles Kingsley’s The Water-Babies (Kingsley 1863)asa tool to explain the differences between scientific andhumanistic thinking, which in the end is the central themeof Owen’sApe.In the first half of the book (chapters 2–4) the reader isimmersed in the philosophical ideas that surround theanatomical discussions regarding the similarities and differ-ences in the brains of ape and man. The anatomicalobservations that Owen published prior to Darwin’s Originhighlight features that differentiate man from ape, placinghim in a subclass of mammal well removed from an apeancestor. In these chapters Cosans counters social construc-tivism critiques that suggest Owen’s views were inopposition to social reform, exemplified primarily in theworks of Adrian Desmond (1986, 1992). All the whileCosans clearly demonstrates how Owen dealt with the issueof race by using non-European specimens such as thecrania of Papuans to typify man, providing strong support“that the difference between Papuan and adult ape skullsovershadows any difference between Papuans and Euro-peans” (pg. 52). Considering the broader context of hownineteenth-century biologists viewed the human races,Cosans summarizes Owen’s view “that, compared to apes