Experiments are done!!

Hello all!

Great news - the decay experiments are complete! When I sampled the 90-day time point in January, things had progressed so much that my advisor and I agreed that sampling more frequently and ending earlier was better - we would be able to capture changes that occurred along the way and monitor progress more closely. The last time step was at 150 days - about 5 months. Four of the final eleven species were either gone entirely or so fragile that sampling of any type was impossible. The remaining seven species ranged in preservation state, from quite fragile to just a bit squishy! The range of preservation is truly remarkable!

I've also found some fun microbes along the way - bacteria, fungi, and amoebae galore! My favorite new amoebae is definitely Centropyxis - a rather smiley little guy (or at least, that's what I see!).

 

I will be going to the Field Museum of Natural History in April to examine more fossils from the North Almont Flora for comparisons. After that, I can start writing up the chapter!

This has been a wonderful and very enlightening experience! I could not have done it without all of your help - thank you again! Not only have you helped to make this chapter of my thesis possible, but you have very much contributed to important research! My results, which I know I am being secretive about, answer some long standing questions and will be very well received in the paleontological community!

Cheers,

Emma