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
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
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
Evolutionary dynamics in deep time: faunal turnover during the Ediacaran. This project aims to investigate the world’s oldest faunal succession in the fossil record by determining the presence and extent of a sedimentary gap and confirming the role of time in the control of fossil distribution. Significant breakthroughs and capacity building are expected in the areas of palaeontology, evolutionary biology and geology using a hitherto unrecognised hiatus in the rock succession. Project outcomes i ....Evolutionary dynamics in deep time: faunal turnover during the Ediacaran. This project aims to investigate the world’s oldest faunal succession in the fossil record by determining the presence and extent of a sedimentary gap and confirming the role of time in the control of fossil distribution. Significant breakthroughs and capacity building are expected in the areas of palaeontology, evolutionary biology and geology using a hitherto unrecognised hiatus in the rock succession. Project outcomes include enhanced understanding of the first animal communities on Earth – these should provide significant benefits, such as revealing Australia's unique record of oldest complex organisms, while bringing additional tourism to the region, and increasing the strength of the Flinders Ranges UNESCO World Heritage nomination.Read moreRead less
Glauconite: Archive Recording Timing and Triggers of Cambrian Radiation . This project aims to constrain the timing and speed of the Cambrian radiation of complex animals, and to test potential environmental triggers of this milestone bioevent. New laser mass spectrometry and mineral mapping technology will be integrated to precisely date glauconite – a silicate mineral commonly formed in Cambrian shallow marine animal habitats. This innovative and cost-effective approach will produce the first ....Glauconite: Archive Recording Timing and Triggers of Cambrian Radiation . This project aims to constrain the timing and speed of the Cambrian radiation of complex animals, and to test potential environmental triggers of this milestone bioevent. New laser mass spectrometry and mineral mapping technology will be integrated to precisely date glauconite – a silicate mineral commonly formed in Cambrian shallow marine animal habitats. This innovative and cost-effective approach will produce the first high-resolution timeline of early animal evolution, where the glauconite-based marine isotope record identifies the most likely environmental trigger for the Cambrian Radiation. Outcomes of this study include improved understanding of the drivers of animal evolution, and a new dating tool for basic and applied research.Read moreRead less
Geodynamics and continental extension in the East African Rift System: origin and evolution of the Turkana Depression in northern Kenya. The Lake Turkana region in northern Kenya, famous for its fossil evidence of human origins, occupies a critical position within the Great Rift Valley of East Africa. This project seeks to explain how this complex region evolved and also the dynamic earth processes responsible for its formation between two great uplifted domes in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Detachments in evaporites and shales: their controls on fold-thrust belt style and wedge geometry. Deepwater fold-thrust belts comprise large structural traps, currently a major focus of Australian petroleum exploration. The structural style of a fold-thrust belt is controlled by its detachment and new field analogues will demonstrate the fundamental role of detachments.
Analysis of asteroid samples returned by Hayabusa 2 and Osiris-REx . This year sees the highly anticipated return of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to Woomera carrying samples of the asteroid Ryugu. This is only the fifth extraterrestrial sample return mission in history. The research team has been invited to participate in the preliminary examination which will take place in Japan in early 2021. The investigators have developed unique analytical skills that allow measurement of small amounts of rock ....Analysis of asteroid samples returned by Hayabusa 2 and Osiris-REx . This year sees the highly anticipated return of the Hayabusa2 spacecraft to Woomera carrying samples of the asteroid Ryugu. This is only the fifth extraterrestrial sample return mission in history. The research team has been invited to participate in the preliminary examination which will take place in Japan in early 2021. The investigators have developed unique analytical skills that allow measurement of small amounts of rock for oxygen isotope compositions at unprecedented precision. This project aims to characterise a suite of carbonaceous chondrites, which appear to be the best match to Ryugu, and therefore will provide the exemplar data to understand the provenance of Ryugu, and place it in the context of solar system materials.
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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