Category Archives: Uncategorized

Muscle scars in tiny conical fossils: A new paper describing the musculature of Devonian tentaculitids from Armenia and what they mean for the biology and evolution of the group

Mark Wilson December 3, 2025 5:45 pm

A new paper on tentaculitid paleobiology and evolution has just appeared in its final form in the journal Historical Biology. The authors are headed by my Estonian friend Olev Vinn and include two new Armenian colleagues Tamara Hambardzumyan and Vahram … Continue reading →

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Possible Linkages Between Climate and Human History in Ohio (the 4.2 yr. ka interval)

gwiles December 1, 2025 11:54 am

Nigel Brush and colleagues have assembled a record of human history in the Walhonding Valley of Ohio (see map below). Along with Jeffrey Dilyard and others, Brush has worked in the region for decades  examining the history of human occupation … Continue reading →

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A spotty Middle Ordovician trilobite from Estonia: A new paper describing an ancient parasitic infection

Mark Wilson November 26, 2025 11:01 am

One of the many reasons we need natural history museums is that they can curate large collections of specimens that can be examined for interesting features decades after they were bagged in the field. Recently my Estonian colleagues Olev Vinn … Continue reading →

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A new paper on James Parkinson’s neglected 19th century contributions to crinoid paleontology

Mark Wilson November 24, 2025 8:54 pm

About three years ago I became curious as to who the “Parkinson” was of Parkinson’s Disease. I found the Wikipedia entry for the man, and its first sentence is: “James Parkinson FGS (11 April 1755 – 21 December 1824) was … Continue reading →

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A New Tree Ring Study from the Kashmir Valley, western Himalaya

gwiles November 4, 2025 11:36 am

The global tree-ring community is racking up the papers investigating the utility of the relatively new proxy using blue intensity of annually-dated tree rings. This latest effort is a blue intensity investigation followup of a recent study on ring widths … Continue reading →

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A Beautiful Day at the South Wellfield

gwiles October 28, 2025 10:28 am

HYDRO25 the class. On a beautiful fall day the class investigated the South Wellfield – the mission was to take water levels from 15 observation wells and sample the groundwater, surface water and water emanating from the airstrippers. Isotopic analyses … Continue reading →

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GSA – San Antonio 2025

gwiles October 25, 2025 8:28 pm

At the alumni reception – a reunion. Elliot Miller (Wooster) presenting his IS work on geochemical analyses of palagonite and potential applications to Martian exploration. Mary Palmieri (Wooster) investigates the linkages of tree rings and cloudiness in Northeast US. Lynnsey … Continue reading →

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Fern Valley HYDRO25

gwiles October 4, 2025 8:45 pm

Guest bloggers: Ihaja Metz and Cooper Norwell: On  September 29th, 2025 Dr. Wiles’s Hydrology class (along with Dr. Ison’s Field Botany class) took a trip out to Fern Valley, a College of Wooster monitering station on Wilkin run, a stream … Continue reading →

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Wooster’s Water – The South Wellfield

gwiles September 30, 2025 9:55 am

Guest bloggers: Luke Woodfill and Francis Nwokonko (HYDRO25) On 9/22/25, Dr. Wiles’ Hydrology class (plus our wonderful ESCI technician Nick Wiesenberg) had the opportunity to tour the Wooster, Ohio Water Treatment Plant. On the way there, we stopped to see … Continue reading →

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The boulders of Little Round Top on the Gettysburg battlefield

Mark Wilson September 16, 2025 9:50 am

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.– As a retirement gift in 2024, my thoughtful department and other friends gave Gloria and me a certificate to stay in a beautiful and charming bed & breakfast establishment in Gettysburg. (Shout out to the Brafferton Inn!) They … Continue reading →

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