May 2008. The University of Kansas Paleontological Institute is delighted to announce the first step towards complete online availability of all of our publications. The University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions is now available online (open access). All issues (with the exception of Daniel F. Merriam’s recently published biography of R. C. Moore) are now available thanks to the generosity of the University of Kansas Libraries and through their ScholarWorks web site. To access University of Kansas Paelontological Contributions, please go to the Paleontological Contributions page of this site where you will find direct links to the Paleo Contributions database where you can search for articles and order paper copies, and to the ScholarWorks web site, where you can browse the volumes by author, title, subject or date. PDF files can be viewed and downloaded at no cost. May 2008. The Paleontological Institute hosted a visit of two researchers studying the extraction of data from taxonomic literature on Monday and Tuesday, May 12th and 13th, 2008. Dr Richard Connor, Professor and Chair of the Department of Computer and Information Sciences at the University of Strathclyde, Scotland, spoke on "Parsing Pseudo-Natural Language within Taxonomic Descriptions" and Dr Hong Cui, Assistant Professor in the School of Information Resources and Library Science, University of Arizona, Tucson, spoke on "Simple Machine Learning Methods for Marking-up Taxonomic Descriptions." Two more University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions articles will be published this year: on echinoderms, and on bivalve genera originally published in Chinese. March 2008. The new expanded Paleo Institute web site with additional features is now online. This new web site integrates paleo departments, research units, and all paleo-related activities at the University of Kansas. Watch for further developments to the Paleo Institute site, such as special events in the KU paleo environment, a FAQ list, and expanded information about faculty, post docs, and grad students. October 2007. The Paleontological Institute published the final volume in the Treatise Part H brachiopoda revision. Part H (Revised), Vol. 6, Brachiopoda. Edited by Paul Selden, coordinating author, Sir Alwyn Williams, leading a team of international specialists, 2007. Sixth and final volume to be published in this extensive 6-volume revision of the phylum Brachiopoda. Included in this volume are descriptions of taxa published since 1998, new chapters and updates to several chapters from volume 1 on Anatomy, Brachiopod Genome, Biochemistry and Diversity of Brachiopod Shells, Chemicostructural Diversity of the Brachiopod Shell, Stable Oxygen and Carbon Isotopes in Extant Brachiopod Shells, Affinities and Trends in Evolution, Recent Research on Brachiopod Evolution, Geographic Distribution of Extant Articulated Brachiopods, and Stratigraphic Distribution of Brachiopods, followed by a stratigraphic range chart to the genus level covering all taxa included in the six volumes. Also included is a comprehensive reference list for volume 6 and an index to all volumes in the series. ISBN 978-0-8137-3136-0. Roger L. Kaesler, former Director of the Paleontological Institute, passed away on Saturday, August 11, 2007, at age 70. He will be greatly missed by all those who were fortunate enough to know him.   (more) The Paleontological Institute has published an article in the University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions (new series 15) by KU graduate Daniel I. Hembree, Department of Geological Sciences, Ohio University, which presents a cladistic analysis of morphological characters of Eocene-Miocene North American Amphisbaenia to resolve the phylogenetic relationships among the family Rhineuridae. Hembree, D. I. Phylogenetic revision of Rhineuridae (Reptilia: Squamata: Amphisbaenia) from the Eocene to Miocene of North America, 20 p., 6 fig., 1 table, 2007. Click here for ordering information or visit the Paleo Contributions database for additional information about all the volumes in the series. (Note: these pages will open in a new browser window). April 2007. The Paleontological Institute has published Raymond Cecil Moore: Legendary Scholar and Scientist; World-Class Geologist and Paleontologist as part of the University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions (Special Publication 5) by Daniel F. Merriam. Dan Merriam was a doctoral student of R. C. Moore, and is currently Senior Scientist Emeritus of the Kansas Geological Survey, and Historian for the KU Department of Geology. R. C. Moore was the founder of the Paleontological Institute, the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, and the Kansas University Paleontological Contributions. Daniel F. Merriam. 2007. Raymond Cecil Moore: Legendary Scholar and Scientist; World-Class Geologist and Paleontologist, vii + 170 p., 74 fig., 7 appendices, indexed, softcover. ISBN 978-1-891276-55-2. Price: $25.00 January 2007. The Paleontological Institute staff would like to welcome the arrival of its new director, Dr Paul Selden. Before coming to KU, Dr Selden was a Reader in Palaeontology in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester. Most recently he was a Scientific Associate in the Department of Palaeontology, the Natural History Museum, London. Dr Selden succeeds Dr Roger L. Kaesler, who retired in November 2006 after directing the Paleontological Institute for 20 years from 1986 through 2006. During Dr Kaesler's tenure the Paleontological Institute published twelve separate volumes of the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology, one monograph for the University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions, and fourteen articles of the University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions, New Series. Part H (Revised), Vol. 5, Brachiopoda. Edited by Roger L. Kaesler, 2006, coordinating author, Sir Alwyn Williams, leading a team of international specialists. This is the fifth volume to be published in this extensive 6-volume revision of the phylum Brachiopoda. Included in this volume is the subphylum Rhynchonelliformea (part), including orders Spiriferida, Spiriferinida, Thecideida, and Terebratulida, followed by a comprehensive reference list and index. xlvi + 631 p., 398 fig., 2006, ISBN 0-8137-3108-9 Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology volumes, can be ordered from the GSA Bookstore. Additional information can be found by browsing the Treatise Volume database. (Note: these pages will open in new bowser windows). Part B, Protoctista 1, Vol. 1, Charophyta, edited by Roger L. Kaesler, 2005, coordinating author, Monique Feist. This is the first volume of Part B, Protoctista 1 to be published. Part B deals generally with plantlike autotrophic protoctists. Future volumes of Part B will cover the dinoflagellates, silicoflagellates, ebredians, benthic calcareous algae, coccolithophorids, and diatoms. Included in the charophyte volume are introductory chapters covering morphology, mineralization, techniques for preparation and study, ecology and paleoecology, biogeography, stratigraphic distribution and paleobiogeography, stratigraphic range chart, biozonation, evolutionary history, molecular phylogeny, classification, and glossary. Systematic descriptions of the phylum Charophyta include the orders Moellerinales, Sycidiales, and Charales, followed by a comprehensive reference list and index. xvi + 170 pages, 79 figures, 9 tables, hardbound, indexed, ISBN 0-8137-3002-3. Part E (Revised), Vol. 3, Porifera. Edited by Roger L. Kaesler, 2004, coordinating author, J. Keith Rigby, with authors R. E. H. Reid and R. M. Finks, 2004. Third volume in the revision of the Porifera. Included in the volume are the classes Demospongea, Hexactinellida, Heteractinida, and Calcarea, followed by a stratigraphic range chart to the genus level, comprehensive reference list, and index. xxxi + 872 p., 506 fig., 1 table, hardbound, indexed, ISBN 0-8137-3131-3. The Paleontological Institute has published an article in the University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions (new series 14) by KU Geology Professor Bruce S. Lieberman, which offers a biostratigraphic analysis of the Nelson Limestone, Neptune Range, Antarctica, based on the distribution of trilobites in measured sections suggesting that the age of the formation is probably late Florian to Undillan. Lieberman, B. S., Revised Biostratigraphy, Systematics, and Paleobiogrography of the Trilobites from the Middle Cambrian Nelson Limestone, Antarctica, 23 p., 19 fig., 2 tables, August 26, 2004. Part E(Revised), Vol. 2, Porifera, Introduction, was published in December 2003. Edited by Roger L. Kaesler; coordinating author, J. Keith Rigby, with authors R.E.H. Reid, R.M. Finks, and J. Keith Rigby. This is the second volume in the revision of the Porifera. Entirely devoted to introductory material, with chapters on general features of the Porifera; morphology, phylogeny, and classification of the Demospongea, Lyssacinosa, and Hexactinellida; glossary; reproduction and development; physiology; functional morphology and adaptation; variability and variation; ecology and paleoecology; evolution and ecological history; geographic and stratigraphic distribution; and techniques of study. Also included are a comprehensive reference list and an index. xxvii + 349 p., 135 fig., 10 tables, hardbound, ISBN 0-8137-3130-5. Part H(Revised), Vol. 4, Brachiopoda was published in October 2002. This volume was edited by Roger L. Kaesler, with coordinating author, Sir Alwyn Williams, leading a team of international specialists. This is the fourth volume to be published in this extensive 6-volume revision of the phylum Brachiopoda. Included in this volume is the second part of the subphylum Rhynchonelliformea (including the orders Pentamerida, Rhynchonellida, Atrypida, and Athyridida), followed by a comprehensive reference list. xxxix + 768 pages, 484 figures, 3 tables, hardbound, indexed, ISBN 0-8137-3108-9. The Paleontological Institute, in association with the International Palaeontological Association, is hosting PaleoLink, an on-line, searchable database of paleo-related web sites. Please visit the PaleoLink web site at either the IPA-hosted site or the Paleo Institute-hosted site and add your data into the database. (Note: these pages will open in new bowser windows). The Paleontological Institute is hosting two on-line databases: the IPA Directory of Paleontologists of the World and the IPA Directory of Fossil Collections of the World. Please visit the IPA web site to enter your personal and professional information or collection information into the appropriate database. (Note: this page will open in a new browser window). The Millennium Brachiopod Congress was held in mid-July 2000 at the Natural History Museum in London. Roger L. Kaesler, Director of the Paleo Institute, and Jill Hardesty, Assistant Editor, attended to meet with authors to discuss Treatise matters. Image #1           Image #2 (Note: these pages will open in a new browser window). The Paleontological Institute has published an article in the University of Kansas Paleontological Contributions (new series 13) by KU researcher David Burnham et al. that describes a new genus and species of dinosaur, Bambiraptor feinbergi. This nearly complete fossil is purported to be the closest link yet between dinosaurs and birds. Included with the issue is an additional article on fossil brachiopods by University of Oviedo researchers Fernando Alvarez and Covadonga Brime. View a life restoration of Bambiraptor feinbergi. Part H(Revised), Vol. 2 & 3, Brachiopoda was published in March 2000. These volumes were edited by Roger L. Kaesler, with coordinating author Sir Alwyn Williams leading a team of international specialists. These are the second and third volumes to be published in the extensive 6-volume revision of the phylum Brachiopoda. Included in the volumes are the subphyla Linguliformea, Craniiformea, and Rhynchonelliformea (part), followed by a comprehensive reference list. 950 pages, 616 figures, 17 tables, hardbound, indexed, ISBN 0-8137-3108-9. "Taxonomy and the Security of Databases," by Roger L. Kaesler, Jill W. Krebs, and Douglas L. Miller. (Note: this page will open in a new browser window).