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VOLUME 121 ISSUE 102
Team uncovers Bonnerichthys, fills hole in Mesozoic fish lineage
BY NANCY WOLENS nwolens@kansan.com
Adam Buhler/KANSAN
Larry Martin refers to the fish as a "gentle giant in a sea of monsters." Although the 18-foot-long fish is mere bones today, more than 100 million years ago, in the age of the dinosaurs, it journeyed through the ancient seas that once covered the Kansas plains.
After thoroughly studying prehistoric fossils of the animal, Larry Martin, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology at the University's Natural History Museum, and an international team of researchers identified the fossil as a giant plankton-eating bony fish — a lineage of fish that had evidently been missing from the Mesozoic realm of the seas until now.
Although Martin's research team had studied fish fossils in other places, it was their finding of a critical fossil in western Kansas that made the whole study complete.
CALL HIM AHAB
Larry Martin, senior curator of vertebrate paleontology, displays a rendering of the Bonnerichthys. He helped write an article discussing the giant plankton-eating fish.
In recognition of their find, Martin and his team were featured in Science Magazine, published Thursday, with the article, "100-Million-Year Dynasty of Giant Planktivorous Bony Fishes in the Mesozoic Seas."
FINDING THE FOSSIL
Years ago Martin purchased a number of fossils - one of which happened to be from the giant plankton-eating fish - from the Marion Bonner family, a fossil-collecting family that has fossils in museums throughout the U.S.
Orville Bonner, a retired vertebrate paleontology preparator for the University, said the significant fossil of the giant planktivore was uncovered from the Niobrara Chalk, a fossil collecting site in Western Kansas, in 1971 by his father Marion Bonner. Orville Bonner said they knew immediately they had discovered something unique.
"It had huge eyes, and they were about as large as a volleyball," he said.
Martin and the team named the fish Bonnerichthys after the Marion Bonner's noteworthy discovery.
Orville Bonner, who is the oldest of eight siblings and currently lives in Lawrence, said his family has been collecting fossils from the chalk canyons in Kansas since 1925.
Martin said the Niobrara Chalk is a
distinct landmark, where scientists have been collecting fossils since 1870.
"It's most famous for its marine deposits from the age of the ancient dinosaurs," Martin said.
Despite its size, the planktivore ate phytoplankton — tiny organisms that still fill waters today.
"This is telling you that the old western interior sea was really very lush." Martin said. "The only way you can have a big animal like this is if there is an awful lot of organisms to fill the water"
THE PROCESS
See a photo gallery of Bonnerichthys at kansan.com
Fossils of these fish had been found before, but researchers didn't realize what they were. Martin said. The fish it most resembled was a Protosphyraena, a genus of ancient swordfish, he said.
The team of six used new fossils from the United States, Europe and Asia, but Martin obtained the most critical fossil, the skeleton of the fish, in western Kansas.
"I knew it was a fish we really didn't know that much about, and we had acquired
Q&A
SEE FOSSILS ON PAGE 8A
Discussing college with Asher Roth
BY ALISON CUMBOW alisonc@kansan.com
Editor's note: Asher Roth,
song, "I Love College," will perform at 9 p.m. on Saturday at Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St. Tickets are $10-$20.50. On Sunday
Roth
studio Roth spoke to The Kansan by telephone.
Kansan: What do you like about performing in college towns?
Asher Roth: The thing about a college town is that the crowds are there to have fun. They're not there to judge or to be critics. It's fun because the show is not the end-all. It's like the party just started.
AR; Yeah, we just got done touring with Blink 182 and I am working on my second studio album. It's going to be phenomenal. I've been working with Pharrell and the Neptunes. We've
K: You just got done touring,
what are you up to now?
got a good body of work. It's a lot of fun music. It's some contagious stuff. It's honest music that has some feeling behind it. Hopefully it invokes some emotion from it. "I Love College" was about bringing people together to have fun. You have to evolve your content and who you are as a person. It's about learning.
K: How do you keep yourself from getting caught up in celebrity gossip and rumors?
AR: You just realize that none of that is important. The best way is to ignore it. Human beings are sensitive for the most part. But it's the way of the business. You have to remember what's important to you. I have a handful of friends. You have to surround yourself around people you trust. You're not going to be able please everyone.
AR: You should be excited. There is really fun stuff coming. There's a lot of good music that's fun. It's quality over quantity. There will be really dope stuff coming out soon.
Edited by Taylor Bern
K: What should Lawrencians look forward to Saturday?
The Lawrence Human Relations Commission confirmed Thursday its November decision to not recommend including gender identity and expression
as a protected category in the City of Lawrence anti-discrimination code.
BY KAYLA REGAN
kregan@kansan.com
Students and community members commented on the issue during Thursday's
Gender identity not recommended for code
meeting. Toni Wheeler, HRC city liaison, estimated 75-100 people attended the meeting - an unusually large turnout.
Student body president Mason Heilman attended and spoke at the meeting on behalf of Elise Higgins, community affairs director, and Student Senate. With the Senate's 2009 decision to include protection of gender identity and expression in University policy, as well as similar action taken by Kansas government, Heilman said the city
"Students who fall under the protections of a gender identity non-discrimination clause should be protected in the community," he said. "Not just at the university."
"I know of transgender people who have suffered some pretty terrible treatment at their jobs here."
City discrimination proposal denied
Heilman said other than a
LAWRENCE
MATTHEW BLANKERS Claremont, Calif., senior
few people concerned with the morality of the issue, most of the arguments that opposed including gender identity and expression
were technical in nature, alluding to the problems of defining identity
Matthew Blankers, a senior from Claremont Calif., said that the current city code failed to acknowledge certain people who needed its protection.
"There are a lot of people who like to believe that Lawrence is some kind of liberal oasis and that this ordinance is not needed because people aren't discriminated against here," Blankers said. "But I know of transgender people who have suffered some pretty terrible
Those who were against recommendation:
BREAKDOWN OF VOTES FROM LAWRENCE HUMAN RELATIONS COMMISSION
of Lawrence also needed to amend its current code.
Those who were against recommendation
Kirsten Krug
James Dunn
Kevin Johnson
Jason Barnhill
Those who were for recommendation:
Scott Criqui
Laura Diaz Moore
Lori Tapahonso
treatment at their jobs here in Lawrence because of their gender identity."
Through its recommendations to the city commission, HRC works to eliminate discrimination in employment, public accommodations and housing. Currently, the Chapter 10 code prohibits discrimination because of race, sex, religion, color, national origin, age, ancestry, familial status, sexual orientation and disability.
Whether to include gender identity and expression has been on the HRC agenda since May 2009. Wheeler wanted to make clear that yesterday's vote wasn't about amending the code, but whether HRC approved the report
index
summarizing its previous decision to not recommend including gender identity and expression protection to the city commission.
Unless a member of the public or HRC requests the recent vote be reopened for debate, the approved report will be placed on the city's commission, which could be passed without discussion. Wheeler did not wish to comment on the likelihood that the issue be reopened, nor the opinions of the commissioners.
The commission did not wish to revisit it and wanted to stick by its earlier decision, Wheeler said.
Edited by Megan Heacock
See video of the meeting at kansan.com/video
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All contents, unless stated otherwise; © 2010 The University Daily Kansan
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