KANSAN.COM / THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2010 / NEWS
3A
SCIENCE
Professor connects fossil to modern spiders
BY SAMANTHA FOSTER
sfoster@kansan.com
Paul Selden, distinguished professor of geology and director of the University's Paleontological Institute, has discovered a relationship between a 165-millionyear-old spider fossil found in northeastern China and a group of modern spiders typically found only in the south-
Selden
States, Mexico and Cuba.
Selden's colleague, Diying Huang,
found the specimens in northeastern China in 2008.
Selden said that although scientists had suspected the existence of haplogynes — a modern family of spiders — in the Jurassic, they hadn't found fossils of the spiders. He said the find was important because it confirmed that many living families
had a long history.
When he saw the fossil, Selden said, he immediately recognized the distinctive features on the adult males. Selden said that after studying the fossil he realized that the spider was related to the modern haplogyne family. The haplogyne family can only be found in California, Arizona, Mexico and Cuba. Finding the fossil in China was evidence that such spiders had once lived in the are
"Jurassic spiders are incredibly rare."
"It itemed like there was an interesting biogeographic conundrum there," Selden said.
the modern haplogyne spiders, but Selden said they were the smallest members of that family. They are less than 3 millimeters long.
Selden said the fossil was very well preserved. Because spiders'
Selden said he thought the spiders probably became extinct in China because of dropping temperatures and shifting ice sheets. Those factors may have caused the spiders' extinction in China and restricted them to the arid regions they inhabit now.
PAUL SELDEN Director of the University's Paleontological Institute
The fossils look very similar to
because spiders bodies are soft, they are unlikely to become fossils. The fossils discovered in China formed in deposits of volcanic ash that preserved the spiders bodies.
"Jurassic spiders are incredibly rare," Selden said.
Erin Saupe, a third-year graduate student and first-year doctoral student from Saint Cloud, Minn., said Selden's research was important to paleontology because the fossils were so unique.
"Dr. Selden's find is important not only because of the extraordinary preservation of the specimens, but also because there are so few spiders described from the jurassic," Saupe said. "His find contributes
Paul Seidel, professor of geology is one of the authors of a study relating the jurassic-era spider shown above to the modern haplogyny family. The fossil is 3 mm long.
Photo courtesy of Paul Selden
significantly to our understanding of spider evolution during this
period of life on Earth"
— Edited by Katie Blankenau
RALLY (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
way wed like them to," Smith said. "But progress will be made and we'll continue to meet with them over the course of the semester."
Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, was one of eight legislators that KU students met with Tuesday. He said students fighting for no more budget cuts should argue from an economic standpoint. He also said education was the key for economic development and would be an important argument to make to other legislators.
Of the legislators that Higgins spoke with, Holland was the only one to give a firm declaration against further cuts to higher education. Holland is submitting his candidacy for Kansas governor today.
SENATOR ANNOUNCES RUN FOR GOVERNOR
Sen. Tom Holland, D-Baldwin City, will announce his candidacy for governor today at 1 p.m. in Topeka, according to a news release from the Kansas Democratic Party.
Dalton Henry, student body president at Kansas State University, said that three of the six legislators he spoke with formally declared that they would not support any more budget cuts to higher education. He said one
Holland became senator for Kansas's third district last January. The third district of Kansas includes the northern third of Lawrence as well as other parts of Douglas County and all of Jefferson and Johnson counties except for Leavenworth and Lansing. Before he became state senator, he served as the
state representative of the Kansas House 10th district from January 2003 to January 2009, according to his website. He received a bachelor's of science degree from the Indiana University and a master's degree from the University of Minnesota, both in business administration. Holland moved to Baldwin City in 1993. He is married with four children, two of whom graduated from the University of Kansas and all of whom attended or are currently enrolled in schools in Lawrence
— Aly Van Dykke
of the problems student lobbyers faced was trying to fully explain the effects of the cuts. He said it was easy to say budget cuts mean larger classes, but what cuts really mean is a lower quality of education.
Members of the KU administration were also lobbying at the Capitol with Jayhawks for Higher Education.
- Edited by Kirsten Hudson
ALCOHOL (CONTINUED FROM 1A)
had consumed five or more drinks in one sitting in the past two weeks.
Marlesa Roney, vice provost for student success, said similar surveys indicated an increase in alcohol consumption and abuse at the University.
"Given the clear evidence, alcohol abuse is a problem for a significant number of students at KU, just as it is at most other colleges and universities, as well as U.S. society in general," she said.
In response to an increased level of alcohol abuse, the University implemented new policies in May 2009, including parental notification and a mandatory online AlcoholEdu course for freshmen and transfer students under the age of 22.
The parental notification policy allows student housing to notify parents or guardians if a student has violated an alcohol policy for
Jennifer Wamelink, associate director for residence life, said it was still too early to determine the influence of the University's new policies and programs. Wamelink said she did not know how many letters of parental notifications were issued and would not have that information for months. But she said there were some encouraging signs that the new policies were working.
the second time or a drug policy for the first time. The goal of the new policy is to encourage communication between parents and students about alcohol and help students make better decisions. Roney said. The AlcoholEdu course was designed to provide students with detailed information about the effects of alcohol.
"We feel we have seen fewer students transported to the hospital due to alcohol in the fall semester," she said.
Tripp said she was glad the University was taking measures to decrease excessive alcohol consumption and abuse, but said she was not sure how successful the programs would be.
"I think it's good what they're trying to do with the AlcoholEdu, but I feel like people are just going to try to get them done as quickly as they can and not pay much attention," she said. "But it's better than doing nothing."
Although doctors had said her friend probably would have been OK, Tripp does not regret the emergency room visit.
"We decided that in the future we wouldn't want to regret taking him in, if something really bad did happen," Tripp said.
Edited by Megan Heacock
BUSES (CONTINUED FROM1A)
Although the on-campus circulators experience the most increase in riders during cold weather, the off-campus routes are also filling to capacity and leaving people behind, said Meier, a junior from Independence.
During the first two weeks of the semester, between 16,000 and 19,000 people used KU transit. During the same time period in 2009, between 12,000 and 15,000 people rode the buses, Danny Kaiser, assistant director of KU parking and transit said.
said and more people have been riding this semester than in the past two semesters.
"I have had my fair share of moments stuck on the bus with people completely surrounding me in every direction," he said.
Sam Hosfelt, a junior from Topeka, takes route 27, Bob Billings and Kasold, to and from class every ...
Hoselt said that he had never been left at a stop and was pretty persistent about getting on the bus, but that he had seen several people left behind.
The buses are most crowded about 30 minutes after the hour, Kaiser said. For example, students usually take a bus at 8:30 or 8:35 to arrive at a 9:00 class. To avoid crowding issues and to ensure they don't get left behind, Kaiser said, students should take an earlier bus.
"I've had to stand at the very front
of the bus a couple times, past the yellow line" he said. "I mean, I guess it's a safety hazard, but you do what you've to have to do on the bus."
Cold weather also affects the overall operation of the buses. Kaiser said.
Tanner Grubbs/KANSAN
Students begin funneling into a campus bus en route to Daisy Hill Tuesday morning outside of Snow Hall. An increasing number of students have been left behind due to buses becoming no full.
"Buses are complex machines," he said. "When it gets really cold they don't work quite as well."
Several buses have broken down already this semester, and others have had to finish their routes, Kauer said.
The cold can hamper moving parts, such as doors, and freeze diesel fuel into gel, causing the bus to break down.
Without additional funding, KU Parking and Transit does not have money to add more buses to routes, Kaiser said. Meter said buses would likely become less crowded as spring approached.
Edited by Katie Blankenau
LAWRENCE
Lawrence resident Jean Ann Pike marches in the downtown Lawrence Mardi Gras parade Tuesday morning.
Mia Iverson/KANSAN
The fourth annual Mardi Gras parade in Lawrence started at Aimee's Coffee House, 1025 Mass. St., and traveled to Free State Brewery, 636 Mass. St.
A band marched with the group and played several traditional Mardi Gras songs, including "When the Saints Go Marching In."
More than 100 people marched down Massachusetts Street Tuesday to celebrate Mardi Gras.
The band stopped in front
Mardi Gras parade marches on Mass
Katie Euliss and her husband, Mike West, organized the parade four years ago.
Mardi Gras, which is celebrated for a full week leading up to Ash Wednesday, is a New Orleans tradition that started in 1699.
Current festivities include music, beads, food and drinks.
Their home in New Orleans was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
of several stores and restaurants along the route to play music.
Jay Trump
Granada
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