Reassessment of the Silurian problematicum Rutgersella as another post-Ediacaran vendobiont

Retallack, G.J., 1.7.2015. Reassessment of the Silurian problematicum Rutgersella as another post-Ediacaran vendobiont. Alcheringa 39, 573–588. ISSN 0311-5518

Rutgersella is a problematic fossil from the early Silurian (Llandovery) Shawangunk Formation of New Jersey, at first interpreted as a jellyfish comparable with Ediacaran fossils, such as Dickinsonia. Three proposed species of Rutgersella from the same locality are here regarded as growth or reproductive variants of a single species, R. truexi. Sedimentary structures, associated trace fossils and petrographic examination now show that they were sessile organisms of intertidal mudflats. These fossils have been dismissed as pyrite suns, but thin-sections show that they were weakly pyritized, organic structures, with a quilted hollow internal structure, similar to Seilacher’s constructional and taxonomic concept of Vendobionta. As for Cambrian Swartpuntia, and Devonian Protonympha, Rutgersella may be a post-Ediacaran vendobiont. The biological affinities of Rutgersella are problematic, but are compared with coenocytic green algae, cellular slime moulds, puffball-like fungal fruiting bodies and foliose lichens.

Gregory J. Retallack [gregr@uoregon.edu], Department of Geological Sciences, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-1272, USA.     

Degradation of Archaeological Wood Under Freezing and Thawing Conditions—Effects of Permafrost and Climate Change

The degradation of archaeological wood at freezing and thawing temperatures is studied at the site of Qajaa in West Greenland through a combination of environmental monitoring, measurement of oxygen consumption and microscopy of wood samples. Permanently frozen wood is still very well preserved after 2–4000 years, while wood samples that thaw every summer show attack by soft rot and an average density loss of 0.1 g cm^–3 (corresponding to 25% of the dry mass) over the past 27 years. Future increases in temperature may increase the decay rate significantly (Q₁₀ = 4.2 at 0–10°C) but the effects on site depend on local hydrology.     

Korea's Aristocratic Moods: Re-examining Chos[obreve]n Social and Political History

Despite the vast influence of “Chinese culture” on Korea, the Chos[obreve]n dynasty (1392–1910) was a distinct cultural sphere governed by its own internal logic that centred on the aristocracy. Over the past twenty years, the importance of this fact has received emphasis in detailed studies by Deuchler (1992 Deuchler, Martina. 1992. The Confucian transformation of Korea: A study of society and ideology, Cambridge, MA and London: Council on East Asian Studies, Harvard University.  [Google Scholar]), Palais (1996 Palais, B. James. 1996. Confucian statecraft and Korean institutions: Yu Hy[obreve]ngw[obreve]n and the late Ch[obreve]son dynasty, Seattle and London: University of Washington Press.  [Google Scholar]) and Duncan (2000 Duncan, B. John. 2000. The origins of the Chos[obreve]n dynasty, Seattle and London: University of Washington Press.  [Google Scholar]). The recent works by Hwang, Park and Kim that are the subject of this essay constitute a triptych of studies that further illuminate theimplications of social status in Chos[obreve]n and show how South Korea's transformation over the past five decades represents a radical deviation from the defining characteristics of its Confucian past.