Fossil-explorer.com: An efficient interactive approach to exploring fossil data

Wu, J.; Xu, H.-H.; Pan, Z.; Niu, Z.

doi:10.1101/2022.06.12.495851

Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2022.06.12.495851

Fossil-explorer.com: An efficient interactive approach to exploring fossil data

Wu, J.·Xu, H.-H.·Pan, Z.·Niu, Z.

View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Fossils today are increasingly being digitized and documented by multi-modal data obtained from visual data (i.e., photos and tomographic images), as well as text, locations, geological ages, and other chemical and physical measurements. Popular online websites such as PBDB and GBDB offer visual explorations of specimens localities, but they have limited multi-modal data visualization abilities and face challenges related to visual obscuration and insufficient interaction/exploration. Here, we present fossil-explorer.com, a continuously developing open-source online tool for assisting paleontologists with interactively exploring fossil collections. The tool is designed to address the issues of visual clutter, limited data types, and insufficient interactions. It is intuitive and endorsed by paleontologists. We have also quantitatively evaluated the tool by measuring the interaction scaling performance. The results show that it provides sublinear interaction performance and thus is able to deal efficiently with millions-level data. The current fossil-explorer.com demonstrates the Ordovician to Silurian graptolite fossil multimedia dataset, which is significant in global stratigraphy and shale gas exploration. The extended version also facilitates the use of Deepbone (http://deepbone.org), worlds most comprehensive database of vertebrate paleontology database. We developed the code for fossil-explorer.com to be open access and will continue to improve it.

Explore related subjects

paleontology Preprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeX RIS

Wu, J., Xu, H.-H., Pan, Z., Niu, Z.. 2022-06-16. Fossil-explorer.com: An efficient interactive approach to exploring fossil data. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.06.12.495851

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Constraining Palaeogeography and Palaeotides for the Cambrian using cnidarian medusae

The ocean tides influence key Earth system processes at a range of spatial and temporal scales. It is known that the geometry of ocean basins is the leading controller of tidal energetics, so well-constrained palaeogeographic reconstructions and tidal properties for Earths past are imperative when investigating other Earth system processes. Here, we present a novel way to constrain both deep-time tidal model results and reconstructions, by combining palaeoecology with sedimentology. We compare new palaeo-tidal model simulations for the Cambrian period, significant for the early origin and radiation of major animal fauna, to tidal proxies. One of the most abundant soft-bodied organisms preserved during this time are cnidarian medusae (jellyfish). A total of 17 cnidarian medusae localities were obtained through the literature, which had an adequate global distribution and occurred at regular intervals throughout the period of study. In some locations there were also estimates of palaeo-tidal range. Our results show a good agreement between the simulations and proxy data. In the few locations where there is disagreement, it is proposed that the palaeogeographic reconstructions are missing details, e.g., island chains, and our results allow for the palaeogeographic reconstructions to be improved. The proxy method presented is promising and can be applied to other time-periods with different marine fossils, particularly at evolutionary and extinction periods where the marginal marine environment is of importance.

paleontology↗

bioRxiv2024

A Portrait of a Young Fish: Redescription of Pteronisculus gunnari (Nielsen, 1942) from a juvenile specimen from the Early Triassic of East Greenland, with implications for ontogenetic development in early actinopterygians

The Early-Middle Triassic actinopterygian genus Pteronisculus (White, 1933) is part of the Triassic Early Fish Fauna (TEFF), a cosmopolitan group of taxa that thrived in the aftermath of the end-Permian mass extinction. Pteronisculus is considered an important non-neopterygian outgroup taxon in many works dealing with the interrelationships of early crown actinopterygians, but the phylogenetic relationships of many of TEFF genera are debated, with the topology of the lineages giving rise to crown actinopterygians consequently unclear. This is despite exceptional, three-dimensionally preservation of an abundance of fossils associated with TEFF fishes. P. gunnari, from the Induan (Early Triassic) Kap Stosch Formation, East Greenland, is known in less detail than other species of the genus. Here, we use X-ray micro-computed tomography to comprehensively redescribe the three-dimensionally preserved holotype of P. gunnari, including a detailed description of the internal anatomy. The specimen shows morphological features previously undescribed for the genus, including paired premaxillae, medially-directed teeth on the palate, canals for the buccohypophysial canal and internal carotids piercing the parasphenoid, and numerous parotic toothplates. Scale covering is complete, but the braincase and palatoquadrate are ossified as multiple elements, indicating that the specimen was not fully mature and allowing new insights into ossification patterns and ontogenetic development of non-neopterygian actinopterygians. These new anatomical data enrich our understanding of both the morphological complexity and the interrelationships of actinopterygians from the Triassic Early Fish Fauna.

paleontology↗

bioRxiv2024

Basal Cambrian soft-bodied segmented bilaterians preserved as microbial pseudomorphs

Before Cambrian Stage 3, unambiguous body fossils of segmented bilaterians were rare, severely hampering our understanding of the early history of such important animals. Here we report a variety of microfossils with quintessential features such as paired appendages, dorsoventral and anteroposterior differentiations from the basal Cambrian Fortunian of South China, representing the earliest known three-dimensional body fossils of segmented bilaterians. These fossils were all microbial pseudomorphs built up by secondarily phosphatized bacteria aggregations, testifying microbial pseudomorph could serve as a novel and important pathway to preserve tiny, fragile bilaterian progenitors. This finding unveils a diversified segmented bilaterian world at the very beginning of Cambrian and would arouse a more comprehensive perspective on the early evolution of bilaterian body plans.

paleontology↗