1,721,130 research outputs found
The ontogeny sequence of Gammarocrinites bakonicus Manni, Nicosia & Szabò 1992
No full textin Heinzeller & Nebelsick (Eds
Forensic Paleontology: A Tool for "Intelligence" and Investigation
No full textPaleontology and facies analysis proved to be useful tools in activities of intelligence and investigation on some criminal cases, as well as in in-court activities, thus defining the "forensic paleontology" area of study. The definition was given by analyzing its possible specific applications and excluding some marginal activities. The reliability of forensic paleontology was then assessed in light of the results achieved in some actual cases and in an ad hoc simulation. The investigated cases concerned intelligence and ordinary law enforcement activities. Special attention was paid to crimes against the cultural heritage. Ex post re-examination of the cases substantiated the value of this scientific branch in investigations, while stressing the possible difficulties in explaining its results to lay persons. Therefore, careful preparation of technical and linguistic preliminary notes for judges, prosecutors, and lawyers as well as a special training for consultants are recommended before presenting results as exhibits in in-court cross-examinations. © 2013 American Academy of Forensic Sciences
FAKE OR SIMPLY “BEAUTIFIED”? AN EXAMPLE FROM A NEW SPECIMEN OF TETHYSAURUS NOPCSAI BARDET ET AL. 2003
No full textAs the paleontology is better known and fossil trading, legal and illegal, widespread, the probability of coming up to problematic specimens increases. And more often, these fossils are not directly collected by specialists, for whom it is important to determine whether authentic or fake, but become a source of enrichment for inexperienced people who live especially in poor countries (Mateus et al., 2008). The market of fossils is oriented more towards private collectors than to professional paleontologists and such type of consumer privilege the general aspect of the specimens in respect to their scientific value. It is also well known that such type of material frequently includes various types of fake (Padian, 2000; Zhou et al., 2002; Mateus et al., 2008).
Recently, the refurbishing of a private collection rich in nearly thousand specimens seized by Carabinieri del Nucleo Tutela Patrimonio Culturale (Ancona, Marche, Italy) in the locality of Serrapetrona (Macerata, Marche, Italy) and currently owned by Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici delle Marche (Italy) has given the chance to analyzed amazing and rare specimens.
In particular, one specimen captured the attention because of its beauty and its peculiarity: it showed characters of aquatic adaptations and similarities with both mosasaurs and aigialosaurs. It has been classified as Tethysaurus nopcsai Bardet et al. 2003, a basal mosasauroid of which there are only three fragmentary specimen described in the literature and the holotype consists only of a nearly complete articulated skull. At least at first sight, the specimen consisted of an apparently complete skeleton, about 1.6 m in length, well exposed on a whitish slab of about 80x90 cm. In front of such a dramatically important specimen, the questions about its provenance and its real scientific nature were pressing and because of the completeness of such a rare taxon, some doubts rose up about its authenticity.
In order to clear the mind of all suspicions, the fossil was submitted to CT-scan and X-Ray examinations to proceed subsequently to a general cleaning for removing the paint coverage and so showing the artifacts. After the cleaning and preparation following the results of the radiographic exams, it was possible to establish that the specimen consists of a complete skull and mandible with most of the axial skeleton and some elements of the appendicular one preserved.
All the make-up work, that at first sight can be interpreted as a case of forgery, has been done only to “beautify” the specimen and to increase its value on the market of private collectors. It seems worth of note that, even if the “preparation” neither damaged the specimen nor brought to a loss of scientific value, surely rendered harder the study.
To complete the tale of this specimen odyssey, it’s important to notify that the Tethysaurus specimen of Serrapetrona is still under study and probably will dramatically improve our knowledge about this taxon (Paparella in prep.).
The word “beautified” wants to enhance the importance of the scientific value that it’s still possible to retrieve from a made-up specimen. The aim of this work is to make a distinction between real frauds, chimeras, hoaxes, “Frankensteins” (Dalton, 2000b; 2004; Padian, 2000; Rowe et al., 2001; Milner et al., 2001; Mateus et al., 2008) and fossils that have been “beautified” just to increase their ostensive and economic value and not to invalidate their potential scientific value
“...Every contact leaves a trace...”, Locard 1920
No full textThe adjective “forensic” placed next to a word indicating any branch of Science means apply scientific methods and
techniques to the investigation of crime. Therefore, a variety of forensic specialists exist: anthropologists, biologists,
entomologists, geologists and many others. In particular geologists are involved in investigations for everything related
to Geosciences. Geosciences in Forensics have a relatively long but not well known history especially if we think to
newborn areas of research such as Forensic Paleontology (sensu Sacchi & Nicosia, 2013).
The interest is focused on Paleoichnology (branch of Paleontology developed essentially to study fossil footprints) in
Forensics because gives well consolidated techniques to detect, recovery and analyze footwear impressions trackways (at
least a sequence of three consecutive footprints). According to Locard’s Exchange Principle people involved in a crime
could leave footwear impressions en route to, at, and exiting from the crime scene (Bodziak, 2000). The Principle,
summarized in “every contact leaves a trace” and inferred from Edmond Locard’s perception that it is impossible for a
criminal to act, especially considering the intensity of a crime, without leaving traces of his presence. This concept has to
be kept in mind during every crime scene investigation; even more from an ichnological point of view because of footwear
impressions evanescence. The right approach to inspect the place where the crime occurred should be with the expectation
and awareness that it always could contain traces.
All the previous researches were focused on the analysis of a single footprint (Forensic Podology) and most striking,
without a real ichnological approach. The detection of a trackway on a crime scene expects the use of the same tools and
analysis methods to those used for fossil trackways. Precisely for this, I want to prove that footwear impressions and
trackways, analyzed with paleoichnological methodologies, can give distinctive information such as the locomotion type
that is necessarily related to the trackmaker’s deambulation. Indeed, the attempt to extrapolate characters from trackways
has been done based on the rationale that many characters of human locomotion derive from biomechanical constraints
which are strongly related to the physical structure. The results suggest a very high possibility to discriminate the males
from the females by their trackways as well a high possibility to recognize the trackways imprinted by the same individual
The ichnofacies concept in vertebrate ichnology
No full textAvanzini A. & Petti F.M. (eds), Proceedings of the Ichnology session of Geoitalia 2007, VI Forum Italiano di Scienze della Terra Rimini - September 12-14, 2007
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