Next-generation luminescence dating techniques for Earth and archaeological science applications. Chronology is a critical component of geological and archaeological studies. To reconstruct the evolutionary histories of Homo sapiens and other hominin species in their environmental context, we must establish reliable age estimates for key archaeological sites and Quaternary deposits. This project aims to develop new-generation sediment dating techniques using the non-fading infrared stimulated lu ....Next-generation luminescence dating techniques for Earth and archaeological science applications. Chronology is a critical component of geological and archaeological studies. To reconstruct the evolutionary histories of Homo sapiens and other hominin species in their environmental context, we must establish reliable age estimates for key archaeological sites and Quaternary deposits. This project aims to develop new-generation sediment dating techniques using the non-fading infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL) signal from potassium feldspars. These improved methods will be able to be applied to sites in Africa, Europe and Asia that contain important human fossils and artefacts, including the unique type localities of ‘Denisovans’ and ‘Hobbits’, to answer fundamental questions about the timing of key turning points in human evolution and dispersal.Read moreRead less
Pressure waves on the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. This project aims to decipher the physics of faulting and earthquakes from damage zones around seismogenic faults. It will examine a mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. This pressure wave may control damage-zone geometry and relate to earthquake stress and rock material properties. The project will research the instability through theoretical, laboratory and field studies. Antici ....Pressure waves on the mechanics of earthquakes and faulting. This project aims to decipher the physics of faulting and earthquakes from damage zones around seismogenic faults. It will examine a mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. This pressure wave may control damage-zone geometry and relate to earthquake stress and rock material properties. The project will research the instability through theoretical, laboratory and field studies. Anticipated outcomes include advances in earthquake and fault prediction, tools to determine the stress state and material properties of Earth’s crust, and knowledge of a class of solid instabilities.Read moreRead less
Predation as a major ecological driver of early animal evolution. This project aims to address one of the biggest questions about the early evolutionary history of complex life: was predation a driving force behind the major diversification of animals over 500 million years ago? This innovative study will extend the application of computational biomechanics and use extensive fossil collections to quantify the performance of predators and the evolutionary responses of prey species. Anticipated ou ....Predation as a major ecological driver of early animal evolution. This project aims to address one of the biggest questions about the early evolutionary history of complex life: was predation a driving force behind the major diversification of animals over 500 million years ago? This innovative study will extend the application of computational biomechanics and use extensive fossil collections to quantify the performance of predators and the evolutionary responses of prey species. Anticipated outcomes and benefits include a paradigm shift in knowledge of how predator-prey dynamics shaped the first animal ecosystems, new approaches for studying the functional morphology and microevolutionary patterns of extinct invertebrates, and highlighting the international significance of Australia’s natural heritage.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE220101558
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,762.00
Summary
Exploring the nexus between global palaeogeography and the rise of animals. The Ediacaran–Cambrian periods (635–485 million years ago) capture one of the most critical events in the history of life, but are rarely the focus of global-scale palaeogeographic modelling. By employing a holistic, multi-proxy approach that synthesises vast fossil and geological datasets, this project aims to reconstruct continental positions to determine how shifting landmasses influenced the evolution of the first co ....Exploring the nexus between global palaeogeography and the rise of animals. The Ediacaran–Cambrian periods (635–485 million years ago) capture one of the most critical events in the history of life, but are rarely the focus of global-scale palaeogeographic modelling. By employing a holistic, multi-proxy approach that synthesises vast fossil and geological datasets, this project aims to reconstruct continental positions to determine how shifting landmasses influenced the evolution of the first complex animals. Expected outcomes and benefits include a new, animated global model of continental evolution that can be used across a broad range of fields, particularly for studies investigating the development of Earth System processes and the biosphere in deep time, with potential applications in resource exploration.Read moreRead less
Early Palaeozoic radiolarian evolution. This project will apply a new transformative technology, X-ray micro computed tomography, to the study of Early Palaeozoic (530-300 million year old) radiolarian microfossils. It is expected that this will allow, for the first time, non-destructive examination to elucidate the internal skeletal architecture of these fossils that is critical to understanding their evolution. Computer reconstruction of three-dimensional images will reveal details upon which ....Early Palaeozoic radiolarian evolution. This project will apply a new transformative technology, X-ray micro computed tomography, to the study of Early Palaeozoic (530-300 million year old) radiolarian microfossils. It is expected that this will allow, for the first time, non-destructive examination to elucidate the internal skeletal architecture of these fossils that is critical to understanding their evolution. Computer reconstruction of three-dimensional images will reveal details upon which an understanding of early phylogenetic relationships within this phylum can be developed. This in turn will allow realisation of the full biostratigraphic potential of this important long-ranging group of marine protozoans that commonly occur in great abundance in deep marine sedimentary rocks.Read moreRead less
The reptile-mammal jaw transition as revealed by 3D imaging, embryology, and computational biomechanics: new approaches to some age old questions. The extraordinary transformation of the mammalian middle ear through biomechanical 're-tooling' of the ancestral reptilian jaw joint, also recapitulated in mammalian development, yielded the greatly improved feeding and hearing efficiency that are key to the mammalian success story. Building on recent methodological advances, this project will employ ....The reptile-mammal jaw transition as revealed by 3D imaging, embryology, and computational biomechanics: new approaches to some age old questions. The extraordinary transformation of the mammalian middle ear through biomechanical 're-tooling' of the ancestral reptilian jaw joint, also recapitulated in mammalian development, yielded the greatly improved feeding and hearing efficiency that are key to the mammalian success story. Building on recent methodological advances, this project will employ cutting-edge two-dimensional protocols to explain these mechanical details of this transition. This includes integration of the first undistorted embryological soft-tissue evidence for muscular arrangements in the transitioning jaw. Through vastly improving on conventional two-dimensional approaches, the project will maintain Australia's leading position in the fast developing field of virtual biomechanics.Read moreRead less
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE190101423
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,000.00
Summary
Revealing the diets of dinosaurs through the complexity and shape of teeth. This project aims to reveal the role of diet in the spread and subsequent dominance of Mesozoic dinosaurs. Previous research has revealed much about dinosaur anatomy and diversity, but their diets remain broadly classified into two categories, herbivores and carnivores. This project will use 3D scans of dinosaur teeth to calculate anatomical indicators of diet, and interpret diet as a continuous variable which will permi ....Revealing the diets of dinosaurs through the complexity and shape of teeth. This project aims to reveal the role of diet in the spread and subsequent dominance of Mesozoic dinosaurs. Previous research has revealed much about dinosaur anatomy and diversity, but their diets remain broadly classified into two categories, herbivores and carnivores. This project will use 3D scans of dinosaur teeth to calculate anatomical indicators of diet, and interpret diet as a continuous variable which will permit unprecedented evolutionary analyses of dinosaur ecology. Anticipated outcomes include an innovative framework with which to reconstruct the ecological diversity of dinosaurs from Australia and around the world and understand the processes that led to their success for over 150 million years.Read moreRead less
Reading the past to predict future biodiversity: a deep-time perspective. The extent of human-moderated impact on ecosystems is rapidly increasing. To date, most current research in this field is based on short-term observations or experiments. By examining the characteristics of species and ecosystem response to climate change from a major geological Ice Age ~320-265 million years ago in eastern Australia, this study will investigate how marine species and ecological communities evolved in resp ....Reading the past to predict future biodiversity: a deep-time perspective. The extent of human-moderated impact on ecosystems is rapidly increasing. To date, most current research in this field is based on short-term observations or experiments. By examining the characteristics of species and ecosystem response to climate change from a major geological Ice Age ~320-265 million years ago in eastern Australia, this study will investigate how marine species and ecological communities evolved in response to repeated glacial/interglacial cycles and associated warming/cooling climate changes. Expected findings will help to better understand the long-term links between global warming/cooling climate regimes, sea levels, changing sea-water temperature and chemistry, and species and ecosystem responses to these drivers.Read moreRead less
Dating the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley region, Western Australia - landscape geochemistry, surface processes and complementary dating techniques. The age of much of the spectacular rock art of the Kimberley region of Western Australia remains unknown, especially in its earliest stages. This project aims to use the most advanced dating techniques now available to determine a sequence of ages for this ancient cultural record, increasing its recognition as a heritage site of international ....Dating the Aboriginal rock art of the Kimberley region, Western Australia - landscape geochemistry, surface processes and complementary dating techniques. The age of much of the spectacular rock art of the Kimberley region of Western Australia remains unknown, especially in its earliest stages. This project aims to use the most advanced dating techniques now available to determine a sequence of ages for this ancient cultural record, increasing its recognition as a heritage site of international significance.Read moreRead less
Dating the aboriginal rock art sequence of the Kimberley in north west Australia. This project aims to develop a robust time scale for the known aboriginal rock art sequence in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). The project will use new knowledge of complex processes on sandstone surfaces across the north Kimberley, and an innovative combination of four scientific dating methods developed through our earlier work. The project expects to provide a well-dated sequence for Kimberley rock art ba ....Dating the aboriginal rock art sequence of the Kimberley in north west Australia. This project aims to develop a robust time scale for the known aboriginal rock art sequence in the Kimberley, Western Australia (WA). The project will use new knowledge of complex processes on sandstone surfaces across the north Kimberley, and an innovative combination of four scientific dating methods developed through our earlier work. The project expects to provide a well-dated sequence for Kimberley rock art based on replication of results, confirmation across different methods, and a large interdisciplinary data set. The project will allow rigorous analysis of the relationship between dating results and rock art styles that has not previously been possible, and give new insights into Australia’s deep indigenous heritage. This will have a significant impact for future efforts in rock art conservation, and lay a foundation for cultural tourism, with important benefits for the local economy and health of regional indigenous communities.Read moreRead less