ICP (48)
The Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) is a foundation created in November of 2006, with the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Universitat Autònoma of Barcelona as patrons, which constitutes a contrast from the Institut de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, founded in 1969. Therefore, the new Institut is the intersection for uniting experience and warmly renewed tradition.
As a research center of reference, conservation and diffusion of the paleontology of vertebrates in Catalonia (Spain), the ICP aims to strongly promote research and the conservation of the paleontological patrimony at an international level and allow the efficient transfer of knowledge to society.
Dear all,
The Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont (ICP) is the heir of a long tradition in fossil vertebrate research in Catalonia, which was established and later consolidated by the notorious paleontologist Miquel Crusafont-Pairó from Sabadell.
At the ICP we are convinced that Paleontology, as a discipline halfway between Biology and Geology, should make fundamental contributions not only to the history of life, but also to evolutionary theory. This is why the research performed at the ICP clearly follows a paleobiological approach. In other words, for usit is not enough knowing how past living beings were and what are their kinship relationships with extant ones. We also aim to know how they lived, how they moved, what they ate, how they developed and reproduced, how they interacted with one another, what environment they inhabited and, ultimately, how past interactions between organisms and environment have shaped the ecosystems that we know today. It is precisely the access to deep time (or geological time, the one which is measured in millions and millions of years), by means of the study of fossil remains, what provides Paleobiology with a unique perspective of utmost importance for understanding why and how living beings have evolved in relation to the environment than surrounds them through Earth’s history.
For our research team, it is important to perform all the various steps of paleontological research, beginning with fieldwork (excavations and samplings), continuing with the study and analysis of fossil remains, and ending with the publication and dissemination of the results. In these regards, the basic task of description and taxonomic identification of the remains is still an essential aspect of our work. However, more and more, the study and analysis of the fossils is carried out using more sophisticated and computer-assisted techniques. Most noteworthy among them are virtual paleontology and three-dimensional visualization techniques, such as X-ray computed tomography, which enables the non-invasive study of the internal anatomy preserved by fossil remains. Also particuarly remarkable are the analytical techniques allowing for quantitative comparisons and analyses, such as 3D geometric morphometrics, phylogenetic reconstruction software, or numerical analyses of paleobiodiversity dynamics, just to mention a few examples.
The specialized technicians of the ICP, in turn, perform a fundamental step between fieldwork and research, consisting in the preparation and conservation of the fossil remains that constitute the paleontological collections of our Institute. These collections are continuously growing thanks to the excavations and samplings performed by our researchers. However, before being able to study a particular specimen, it is required that specialized technicians carry out a process of paleontological preparation (cleaning, consolidation and, if necessary, reintegration). The process of paleontological preparation not only enables the manipulation of fossils, but it also guarantees their proper conservation once deposited in the collections. This process if of utmost significnce, given that fossils are our main souce of data. In this regard, the ICP aims to become the reerence center in Catalonia with regard to the conservation of the paleontological heritage of vertebrates. This is why we offer our technical advice, in this and any other paleontological matter, to those institutions that request it.
But at the ICP we go one step further and, besides paleontological research, preparation and conservation, we further place particular importance to outreach activities to popularize paleontological heritage. In this regard, exhibiting the fossils it’s not enough, it is required to disseminate to the general public our research results, so as to make understandable the stories that hide in all these petrified bones. Transmitting paleontological knowledge to society, especially based on the finds and research results of our investigators, is for us a heartwarming moral obligation. In the words of the late North-American paleontologist Stephen Jay Gould: “Science is an integral part of culture. It’s not this foreign thing, done by an arcane priesthood. It’s one of the glories of the human intellectual tradition”. This is why at the ICP we have the vocation to make it available to those who are interested the conceptual and material tools that enable a cultural and ludic use of paleontological heritage. And we do so not only by means of the exhibition halls of the ICP Museum, located at the center of Sabadell, but also by collaborating in the estabishment and management of a network of local paleontological interpretation centers all over the country. Moreover, at these times of rampant antiscientific and creationist offensive, we feel a duty to help disseminating one of the most relevant scientific facts to comprehend the place of human being in Nature: organic evolution.
I do not want to finish without addressing those youngsters that, captivated by the secrets of evolution, perceive the grandeur in this view of life (the one alluded by Charles Darwin on the last sentence of the Origin of Species) and aim to devote yourselves to Paleontology. Becoming a researcher, from any discipline, is not an easy task... It requires a lot of study, tenacity, and sacrifice. And yet, if your fascination for fossils and your curiosity for evolution transcends any logical argument, if it is already too late for you, then I can do anything but to advise you to let yourselves be guided by your vocation. That you get trained in life and earth sciences, that you be ambitious and realistic at the same time, and that you try to put your talent at the service of paleontological research. You, as young people, are the future, not only of the ICP, but of the paleontological profession and of the whole scientific community. And only you, if you choose the correct questions, might hope to answer the multiple enigmas about the history of life that thus far remain unsettled.
With my warmest greetings,
David M. Alba
Director
The Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont carries out all the stages of paleontology from the finding, excavation and preparation of a fossil to its conservation, study and publication of results in scientific magazines and on through to its exposure in the mass media, exhibitions and museums.
What is a fossil?
Fossils are the remains of a living thing or its biological activity covered by sediments that with time have been compacted and hardened, making its conservation possible until the present time.
And what is paleontology?
Paleontology is the science of the study of living things of the past, and includes studying fossils.
Searching for fossils
The finding of a fossil can be done in two ways; by chance or after studying the geologic maps. If, for example, we search for dinosaur eggs or a skeleton of an Iguanodon, it is necessary to look in the layers of the era in which the dinosaurs lived; in this case the Mesozoic, between 251 and 65 million years ago. On the other hand, if what we want to find are fossils of anthropomorphous and others primates near the evolutionary line of man, it will be necessary to search in more recent sediments, of less than 15 million years from the Middle Miocene to the present time.
ICP paleontologists carry out the planning and prospecting of new lands suspected of yielding deposits of important fossils. Nevertheless, during spring and summer, they are usually dedicated to excavating in already well-known deposits, where new fossils are continuously found. Chance can also be an important factor in finding fossils. While hiking in the mountains, for example, some fortuitous finding can occur. For this reason, the ICP collaborates and receives the help of organizations like hiking centers.
Excavation
Once they have located and defined a fossil, the paleontologists of the ICP evaluate its state of conservation. It is also important to write down the position and the location in which the fossil appears. This information can be valuable for later studies. A paleontological excavation is an irreversible process because later we will not be able to put fossils back into the sediment as they were.Writing down these data correctly helps to virtually and accurately reconstruct the original distribution of fossils in the deposit in the future.
For taking measurements, the paleontologists use grids, tape measures, computers and a tool known as 'station' that allows them to establish the coordinates of a point and to know its location. On the other hand, shovels, pneumatic hammers, escarpments and bistouries are also used for excavation.
Initial preparation of fossils
In this way, when the time comes to transport it to the warehouses of the Institut, the material will not be damaged. The polyurethane, in addition, is a suitable material because it is very light and it does not add weight to the fossil, as is the case with plaster.
Transport
The circumstances of the deposits vary and the transport of fossils to the Institut depends on where they have been found. If they have appeared in an isolated location, the transport is difficult. 'Mummies' of moderate dimensions are transported in vans or vehicles. In exceptional cases, trucks and helicopters have also been used.
Arrival at the warehouse
The fossils arrive labeled from the excavations in such a way that the conservators of the ICP know at any moment what fossil is contained in the 'mummy'. The conservators are in charge of storing each fossil in an optimal way until it is time to take them to the preparation laboratory.
According to the priorities and capacity of the ICP at a given moment, the researchers decide what it has to prepare. At the appropriate moment, fossils are sent to the laboratory and the restorers clean the fossil so that later the investigators can study its characteristics.
That is to say, they release them from the 'mummy' and they also consolidate the fossil and, in some cases, they make casts to study or exhibit it.
Study
Once prepared, the fossil can now be manipulated by the researcher, who will be in charge of describing it and cataloging it.
In this way it will be possible to determine if the fossil belongs to a group, sort or described species, or if the fossil that has appeared is unknown, as in the case of Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, more commonly known as 'Pau'.
The study of the fossil can go on for weeks, months or years, depending on its complexity and classification. Starting with the existing bibliography, the researchers of the ICP also use the comparison with other skeletons or existing casts in the ICP or other centers.
This is known as 'material fossil of comparison'. If it is necessary, the researchers travel to other countries to learn more fully about the characteristics of the fossils. Later, drawings are usually made, although today they are also scanned in order to make use of virtual paleontology to reconstruct them with the aid of the computers and to work with its structure in 3D.
The results
Once the paleontologists have determined what fossil has been studied and what new contributions can be made for the improvement of knowledge in this discipline, they decide to publish the results in order to share them with the rest of the scientific community. In this way a scientific debate can be generated.
There are many specialized publications; Nature, Science, Brain Behaviour and Evolution, Journal of Human Evolution, American Journal of Physical Anthropology or Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. These are just some of the most prestigious publications, but there are many more that are dedicated to specific areas.
The publication of an article in an important magazine is a long process since various verifications occur on the part of other experts who make critical revisions. Therefore, the time it takes the paleontologists to write the papers to the time they receive confirmation that it will be published can take at least six months.
The findings made by the researchers of the ICP have always been published in the best specialized magazines and have made remarkable contributions to the scientific debate.
Diffusion
Thus, paleontology reaches all those that are interested in it and the knowledge and the studies of the paleontologists of the Institut reach society. The circle is closed, but it is time to begin again because the researchers once again start new campaigns and discover new fossils.
The Scientific Advisory Board of the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont is formed by internationally known researchers in areas related to paleontology, and advises the director in prime issues affecting the institute.
Prof. Lorenzo Rook (President)
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Università di Firenze
ITALY
Prof. Beatriz Azanza
Universidad de Zaragoza
SPAIN
Prof. Richard J. Butler
University of Birmingham
UNITED KINGDOM
Prof. Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan
University of Cape Town
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
Prof. Tracy Kivell
Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
GERMANY
Prof. Dimitris S. Kostopoulos
Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
GREECE
Prof. Clément Zanolli
Université de Bordeaux
FRANCE
Miquel Crusafont Pairó, born in Sabadell, Catalonia (Spain), on 3 October, 1910, has been one of the more internationally recognized Catalan contemporary scientists.
For almost forty years, since 1931, he dedicated his entire life to paleontology, and in 1969 he founded the Provincial Institute of Paleontology, where he worked until his death, in 1983.
Youth
At the age of sixteen, Crusafont discovered with his friend Ramon Arquer, the site of Can Llobateres, in Sabadell, which has produced fossils like Dryopithecus, a nine million year old primate.
Before the age of twenty, Crusafont already had the restlessness of a paleontologist and did his first studies on a collection of fossils of the Sabadell Hiking Centre.
In 1931 Crusafont took part in the foundation of the Museum of Sabadell and two years later he obtained a degree in Pharmacy. In 1935 Crusafont married another pharmacist, Julieta Sabaté.
During this time, the future scientist corresponded in sporadic activities in the 'Diari de Sabadell' with Francesc Trabal and Joan Oliver, two of the most important Catalan writers of the 20th century.
Initial Research
At the end of the Spanish civil war, Crusafont was named assistant director of the Museum of Sabadell, and did the first significant paleontological works, along with Joan Andrés, Jaume Truyols and Josep Fernandez Villalta.
Between 1940 and 1945, he and his collaborators dedicated themselves to excavating the paleontological sites of the Vallès-Penedès river basin, and outside Catalonia in Aragon and Madrid among other places.
In the later years of the decade, Crusafont traveled to France and Switzerland to make contacts with other paleontologists. In 1948 he received a degree in Natural Sciences from the University of Madrid and participated in the XIII International Congress of Zoology of Paris and in the XVIII International Congress of Geology of London. Two years later Crusafont obtained a PhD with the thesis; 'Girafid fossils of Spain'.
The fruitful fifties
During the decade of the nineteen-fifties, the work of Crusafont gained importance, thanks to the 'International courses in Paleontology of Sabadell' which were undertaken every two years, from 1952 to 1958.
Thanks to the effort of the scientist and his collaborators, but also to the economic effort of the citizens of Sabadell, the Museum could welcome outstanding figures of international paleontology like professors Jean Piveteau, Piero Leonardi, Johannes Hürzeler, Jean Viret, Bermudo Meléndez and Heinz Tobien, among others.
In this period, Crusafont also took the opportunity to make the paleontology of Catalonia known and traveled all through Europe to give lectures.
At the end of the decade, Crusafont, together with his collaborators, Jaume Truyols and Jose Fernandez de Villalta, (who were known as 'the group of Sabadell'), had published almost two hundred works related to paleontology.
The University
Miquel Crusafont was named university professor of Paleontology of the University of Oviedo in 1960. He and Truyols, who he named as adjunct professor, worked for three years in the capital of Asturias (in the north of Spain). In 1963, Crusafont held the chair of Paleontology at the Universitat de Barcelona.
During the second half of the sixties, Crusafont took part in paleontological expeditions in Tunisia and Morocco, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institution of the United States.
In 1967, Crusafont was named member of the Real Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona. Meanwhile, the paleontology section of the Museum of Sabadell was growing; the creation of the Institute of Paleontology became an increasing necessity.
The Provincial Institute of Paleontology
Crusafont, with the help of the mayor of Sabadell, Josep M. Marcet, and thanks to the collaboration of the Diputació of Barcelona and Caixa d' Estalvis de Sabadell, who donated the 450 m2 where the Institut is located today, made the construction of the centre, projected by architects Baldrich, Pallars and Lladó.
The official inauguration of the Provincial Institute of Paleontology was celebrated the October 30, 1969. That day was, as Crusafont recognized, one of the most important days of his life.
The legacy
In 1973, Crusafont had to reduce his activity due to a serious illness. His work until his death, on August 16, 1983, was to direct and to form a select team of researchers. Included among them were Josep Vicenç Santafé, Pere Arís and M. Lourdes Casanovas. Since then, the number of researchers, conservators and restorers of the Institute have not stopped growing.
Basic bibliography on Miquel Crusafont
Patronat dels Museus Municipals de Sabadell Institut de Paleontologia. (1993). 'Miquel Crusafont'. L'Obra Científica de Miquel Crussafont i Pairó (Sabadell, 1910-1983). Sabadell.
AA.VV. (1984). 'Un sabadellenc universal: Miquel Crusafont Pairó'. Quadern de les Arts i de les Lletres de Sabadell (Sabadell). Monogràfic, núm.38
Crusafont Pairó, M. (1981). 'Quaranta anys de Paleontologia al carrer de Sant Antoni'. Arrahona (Sabadell), núm.12, II època, tardor, p.37-43.
Truyols Santoja, J. (1992). 'Miquel Crusafont Pairó i l'escola paleontològica de Sabadell'. Quaderns d'Arxiu de la Fundació Bosch i Cardellach (Sabadell). Núm.LXI.
The Palaeontology Section at the Department of Ecology in the Catalan Federation of Speleology (FCE) aims to bring together speleology groups interested in palaeontology in subterranean environments and karsts, coordinate initiatives in the fields of palaeontology and vertebrate fauna, provide information on laws and regulations in these areas and promote informative publications and cave studies in reference to palaeontology, among others, the work by Dr. Josep Fernández de Villalta i Comella.
To fulfil these aims and as part of the agreement signed in February 2008, the 'Villalta' Section is collaborating with the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology Miquel Crusafont to efficiently manage vertebrate fauna discoveries recovered from caves and karsts. For many years now speleologists have collaborated with the Palaeontology Institute Miquel Crusafont, the predecessor of the ICP.
This collaboration arose due to the difficulty of determining certain remains in situ, which makes it necessary for other professionals to collaborate in order to assess the importance of the discovery. The ICP provides the appropriate personal when necessary to assist the speleologists as well as space at the ICP for making inventories and classifying and ordering materials.
Catalan Federation of Speleology
The Federation is the administrative entity that brings together over 50 Catalan speleology clubs, with a total of over 1,500 members. Its tasks include issuing licences, obtaining subventions for groups, collaborating in the acts organised by clubs, accident prevention and assisting rescue groups as well as providing information on speleological developments.
The FCE counts on the Department of Ecology and Protection of the Subterranean Environment created by Catalan speleology collectives to deal with the tasks involved in conserving and protecting the subterranean environment, its surroundings and natural and cultural values. Therefore, this department promotes learning and information activities to foster cultural and environmental awareness in relation to speleology, as well as coordinating, developing and managing cave conservation initiatives.
The work and/or advice of a multidisciplinary group are often necessary to fulfil the objectives. Therefore, the department and its sections are formed by speleologists that are also experienced professionals in the scientific fields of ecology, biology, palaeontology, geology, medicine and other technical disciplines. It is also open to contributions from other people and entities and to collaborating with public administration organisations with more authority in the preservation of the environmental and cultural heritage.
ol·laborar amb els organismes de l'Administració Pública amb competència superior en la preservació del medi natural i el patrimoni cultural.
http://www.espeleologia.cat
Our research is carried out through a network in collaboration with international and national research institutes. Below is a list of our collaborations in the form of joint research projects or specific publications. We have not included other kinds of links that have not yet resulted in any specific form of collaboration.
Human Evolution Research Center
Department of Integrative Biology / Museum of Vertebrate Zoology • University of California, Berkeley • 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building • Berkeley (USA). Amb aquest institut col·laborem, mitjançant el projecte RHOI: Revealing Hominid Origins Initiative, subvencionat per NSF-USA, iniciativa internacional i multidisciplinar, que té com a objectiu il·luminar l’origen i evolució inicial de la família Homindae. Participen 13 països i sobre els 50 científics, hi ha un equip de l’ICP, compost per cinc investigadors.
Dipartimento de Paleontologia Universita di Firenze
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Università di Firenze, via G. La Pira, 4, Firenze (Italia)). Tenim una estreta col·laboració amb aquest departament pel que fa als estudis de primats fòssils del continent europeu i, de manera particular, l’Oreopithecus bambolii, hominoid endèmic insular de la Toscana. Els treballs s’estructuren dins del marc del projecte “Grandes símios fósiles (Hominoidea) del Mioceno del área mediterránea: origen, paleobiología y evolución”. HOPE. IP: S. Moyà-Solà, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, CGL2006-04548/BTE. 2008-2011.
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Università “La Sapienza ” Roma (Italia).
M. Rita Palombo. La col·laboració amb aquest departament s’estableix a projectes comuns que tenim en relació a l’estudi de les faunes fòssils de les illes del Mediterrani. S’emmarca en el projecte “La evolución de patrones de life-history en mamíferos insulares y continentales fósiles y recientes: un enfoque comparativo. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, CGL2006-04548/BTE. 2008-2011. (Palombo, M.R., Köhler, M., Moyà-Solà, S., & Giovanazzo, G. (2008) Brain versus body mass in endemic ruminant artiodactils: a case study of Myotragus balearicus and smallest Candiacervus species from Mediterranean islands. Quaternary International, 182: 160–183).
Institute of Paleontology, University of Bonn, Germany.
Matin Sander Dr. P. Martin Sander Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology (Bonn, Alemanya).Amb aquest institut col·laborem en estudis paleohistològics en vertebrats fòssils amb l’objectiu d’inferir la seva paleobiologia. S’emmarca dins del projecte “La evolución de patrones de life-history en mamíferos insulares y continentales fósiles y recientes: un enfoque comparativo. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, CGL2006-04548/BTE. 2008-2011.
Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University, (Cambridge, USA).
Prof. Dr. R. Wrangham. Tenim una estreta col·laboració de treball amb aquest investigador de l’Harvard University de Cambridge en respecte a l’evolució sota condicions d’insularitat. (Köhler M., Moyà-Solà S. & Wrangham R. W. Island Rules cannot be broken (2008) Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23 (1): 7-8 (DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2007.10.002)).
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Hardard University, (Cambridge, USA)
David Pilbeam, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences. Amb aquest investigador i el seu grup, de la mateixa Universitat de Harvard, estem col·laborant des de fa ja anys, i a l’actualitat estem dissenyant un projecte que presentarem a la National Science Foundation USA per tal dur a terme un projecte de recerca comparant els canvis faunístics durant el Miocè Mig i Superior de Catalunya i el Pakistan.
Palaeontology Research Group in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (SEAES) at the University of Manchester (Inglaterra).
Dr Phil Manning. Amb aquest departament de la Universitat de Manchester, l’ICP manté una estreta relació de col·laboració basat en dos projectes, que implica l’aplicació de la més nova tecnologia de digitalització de grans estructures aplicada a l’estudi de les pistes de dinosaures d’Espanya i Portugal. Els projectes impliquen l’aplicació de LiDAR, 3D Digital Mapping a la zona de Fumanya (Bergadà, Catalunya) i l’Iberian Dinosaur Tracks Project.
Georgian National Museum. Tbilisi (Georgia).
Els nostres instituts col·laboren en l’ estudi de les faunes del Neogen de Geòrgia: “Las dos Iberias. Crisis climáticas e intercambios faunísticos en el Neogeno superior del Mediterraneo occidental y Paratethys oriental”. Cooperación internacional Espanya /República de Georgia. Fundación Duques de Soria. Científic investigador participant Dr. M. Furió.
Max-Plank Institut (Berlin, Alemanya)
Dr. L. Demetrius. Col·laborem en estudis sobre l'analisi matemàtica dels processos evolutius. (Demetrius, L. & Köhler, M. (Submitted) Directionality theory and the dynamics of speciation. Evolution).
Departament de Geologia de l’Universitat Autònoma (Barcelona).
Col·laborem en un projecte a conques del Neogen del Marroc des del punt de vista de la biostratigrafia.
Departamento de Paleontologia de la Universidad de Granada (Espanya).
Col·laborem en l’estudi de les faunes del Neogen i quaternari de les conques del sud de la península Ibèrica. (Minwer-Barakat, R.; García-Alix, A., Martín Suárez, E. and Freudenthal, M., (2008) The latest Ruscinian and early Villanyian Arvicolinae from southern Spain re-examined: Biostratigraphical implications. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.28(3):841-850.---------Minwer-Barakat, R.; García-Alix, A., Agustí, J., Martín Suárez, E. and Freudenthal, M., (In press) The micromammal fauna from Negratín-1 (Guadix Basin, Southern Spain): new evidence of African-Iberian mammal exchanges during the Late Miocene, Palaeontolgy.
Departament de Paleontologia de la Universitat de Lyon (França)
Dr. P. Mein. Col·laborem en l’estudi de les faunes d'insectívors del Neogen. (Furió, M. & Mein, P. (2008) A new species of Deinsdorfia (Soricidae, Insectivora, Mammalia) from the Pliocene of Spain. Comptes Rendus Palevol , 7 (6): 347- 359).
National Museum of Natural History Naturalis, (Leiden, Holanda)
L., van den Hoek Ostende. Col·laborem en l’estudi de les faunes d'insectívors del Neogen. (van den Hoek Ostende, L. W., Furió, M. & García-Paredes, I. (2009) New data on Paenelimnoecus from the Middle Miocene of Spain in support of the subfamily Allosoricinae (Soricidae, Mammalia). Acta Paleontológica Polonica).
Montana State University, Department of Hearth Science (Montana, USA).
Franki Jackson. Col·laborem en l’estudi dels ous de dinosaure i la seva biologia reproductiva en postes d’ous del Mesozoic d’Argentina i Catalunya: (Jackson, F., Varrichio, J., Jackson, R., Vila, B., Chiappe, L. (2008) Comparison of water-vapor conductance on a titanosaur egg from Argentina with a Megaloolithus siruguei from Spain. Paleobiology, 34 (2): 229-246.--------Vila, B., Jackson, F., & Galobart, À. (submitted) Dinosaur eggs and clutches from Pinyes locality (southern Pyrenees). Ameghiniana.
Departament de Paleontologia de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Barcelona).
Dr. A. Malgosa. Col·laborem en l’estudi d’alguns primats fòssils. (Alba, D.M., Moyà-Solà, S., Malgosa, A., Casanovas-Vilar, I., Robles, J.M., Almécija, S., Galindo, Rotgers, C. and Bertó Mengual, J.V. (In press) A new species of Pliopithecus Gervais, 1849 (Primates: Pliopithecidae) from the Middle Miocene (MN8) of Abocador de Can Mata (els Hostalets de Pierola, Catalonia, Spain). Am. Jour. Phys. Anthrop.).
Universitat de Sassari (Italia). Dr. Stefano Enzo (Professor del Dept. Química, Univ. Sassari) i Giampaolo Piga (Estudiant Tirocinio a la UAB).
Projecte de recerca per intentar avaluar les possibilitats de desenvolupar un nou mètode de datació absoluta a partir de la difracció de raigs X. Piga, G., Santos-Cubedo, A, Moya-Solà, S., Brunetti, A., Malgosa, A. & Enzo, S. (in press, 2009): X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) investigation in human and animal fossil bones from Holocene to Middle Triassic. Journal of Archaeological Science
Acta Palaeontologica Polonica - app.pan.pl
Ameghiniana - www.apaleontologica.org.ar
An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology - www.tandf.co.uk
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences - pubs.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Coloquios de Paleontología - www.ucm.es/info/paleo
Cretaceous Research - www.elsevier.com
Dino Data - www.dinodata.org
Fossils and Strata - www.blackwellpublishing.com
Freiberger Forschungshefte - Palaeontologie, Stratigraphie, Fazies - www.geo.tu-freiberg.de/psf
Ichnos - www.tandf.co.uk
Journal of Paleontology - www.journalofpaleontology.org
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology - www.museum.state.il.us/svp/jvp
Lethaia - www.blackwellpublishing.com/let
Marine Micropaleontology - www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications
Oryctos - www.dinosauria.org
Palaeogeography Palaeoclimatology Palaeoecology - www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications
Palaeontographica Canadiana - iago.stfx.ca/people/paleodiv
Palaeontologia Electronica - palaeo-electronica.org
Palaeontologica Polonica - www.paleo.pan.pl
Palaios - www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/sepm/palaios
Paleobiology - www.uic.edu/orgs/paleo
PaleoBios - www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/museum
Paleontographia Italica - www.dst.unipi.it/dst/pal
Paleontological Journal - www.springerlink.com/content/119887
Paleontologicheskii Zhurnal - www.maik.rssi.ru/journals
Paleovertebrata - www.isem.univ-montp2.fr
Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology - www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications
Revue de Paléobiologie - www.ville-ge.ch/musinfo/mhng
Rivista Italiana de Paleontologia e Stratigrafia - www.gp.terra.unimi.it
Trends in Ecology & Evolution - www.elsevier.nl/inca/publications
Vertebrate Paleontology Journal Links - cactus.dixie.edu/jharris
Dinos Levante - www.dinoslevante.com
Dinosauricon - www.dino.im.com
El arbol de la vida - Tolweb - www.tolweb.com
El Paleofreak - www.paleofreak.blogalia.com
Evolucionarios - www.evolucionarios.com
Grupo Aragosaurus - www.aragosaurus.com
Raul Martin – Ilustrador - www.raul-martin.net
Secció de Geo-paleontologia de l'Institut d'Estudis Ilerdencs (IEI) - www.fpiei.es
La nostra recerca es desenvolupa en xarxa col·laborant amb alguns instituts de recerca internacionals i també nacionals. Llistats a continuació hi han aquelles col·laboracions que s’han materialitzat en un projecte de recerca en comú o be en publicacions concretes. Altres tipus de relacions, que encara no s’han materialitzat en res concret han estat omeses.
Human Evolution Research Center
Department of Integrative Biology / Museum of Vertebrate Zoology • University of California, Berkeley • 3060 Valley Life Sciences Building • Berkeley (USA). Amb aquest institut col·laborem, mitjançant el projecte RHOI: Revealing Hominid Origins Initiative, subvencionat per NSF-USA, iniciativa internacional i multidisciplinar, que té com a objectiu il·luminar l’origen i evolució inicial de la família Homindae. Participen 13 països i sobre els 50 científics, hi ha un equip de l’ICP, compost per cinc investigadors.
Dipartimento de Paleontologia Universita di Firenze
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra
Università di Firenze, via G. La Pira, 4, Firenze (Italia)). Tenim una estreta col·laboració amb aquest departament pel que fa als estudis de primats fòssils del continent europeu i, de manera particular, l’Oreopithecus bambolii, hominoid endèmic insular de la Toscana. Els treballs s’estructuren dins del marc del projecte “Grandes símios fósiles (Hominoidea) del Mioceno del área mediterránea: origen, paleobiología y evolución”. HOPE. IP: S. Moyà-Solà, Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, CGL2006-04548/BTE. 2008-2011.
Dipartimento di Scienze della Terra Università “La Sapienza ” Roma (Italia).
M. Rita Palombo. La col·laboració amb aquest departament s’estableix a projectes comuns que tenim en relació a l’estudi de les faunes fòssils de les illes del Mediterrani. S’emmarca en el projecte “La evolución de patrones de life-history en mamíferos insulares y continentales fósiles y recientes: un enfoque comparativo. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, CGL2006-04548/BTE. 2008-2011. (Palombo, M.R., Köhler, M., Moyà-Solà, S., & Giovanazzo, G. (2008) Brain versus body mass in endemic ruminant artiodactils: a case study of Myotragus balearicus and smallest Candiacervus species from Mediterranean islands. Quaternary International, 182: 160–183).
Institute of Paleontology, University of Bonn, Germany.
Matin Sander Dr. P. Martin Sander Professor of Vertebrate Paleontology (Bonn, Alemanya).Amb aquest institut col·laborem en estudis paleohistològics en vertebrats fòssils amb l’objectiu d’inferir la seva paleobiologia. S’emmarca dins del projecte “La evolución de patrones de life-history en mamíferos insulares y continentales fósiles y recientes: un enfoque comparativo. Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia, CGL2006-04548/BTE. 2008-2011.
Museum of Comparative Zoology Harvard University, (Cambridge, USA).
Prof. Dr. R. Wrangham. Tenim una estreta col·laboració de treball amb aquest investigador de l’Harvard University de Cambridge en respecte a l’evolució sota condicions d’insularitat. (Köhler M., Moyà-Solà S. & Wrangham R. W. Island Rules cannot be broken (2008) Trends in Ecology and Evolution 23 (1): 7-8 (DOI:10.1016/j.tree.2007.10.002)).
Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology Hardard University, (Cambridge, USA)
David Pilbeam, Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences. Amb aquest investigador i el seu grup, de la mateixa Universitat de Harvard, estem col·laborant des de fa ja anys, i a l’actualitat estem dissenyant un projecte que presentarem a la National Science Foundation USA per tal dur a terme un projecte de recerca comparant els canvis faunístics durant el Miocè Mig i Superior de Catalunya i el Pakistan.
Palaeontology Research Group in the School of Earth, Atmospheric and Environmental Sciences (SEAES) at the University of Manchester (Inglaterra).
Dr Phil Manning. Amb aquest departament de la Universitat de Manchester, l’ICP manté una estreta relació de col·laboració basat en dos projectes, que implica l’aplicació de la més nova tecnologia de digitalització de grans estructures aplicada a l’estudi de les pistes de dinosaures d’Espanya i Portugal. Els projectes impliquen l’aplicació de LiDAR, 3D Digital Mapping a la zona de Fumanya (Bergadà, Catalunya) i l’Iberian Dinosaur Tracks Project.
Georgian National Museum. Tbilisi (Georgia).
Els nostres instituts col·laboren en l’ estudi de les faunes del Neogen de Geòrgia: “Las dos Iberias. Crisis climáticas e intercambios faunísticos en el Neogeno superior del Mediterraneo occidental y Paratethys oriental”. Cooperación internacional Espanya /República de Georgia. Fundación Duques de Soria. Científic investigador participant Dr. M. Furió.
Max-Plank Institut (Berlin, Alemanya)
Dr. L. Demetrius. Col·laborem en estudis sobre l'analisi matemàtica dels processos evolutius. (Demetrius, L. & Köhler, M. (Submitted) Directionality theory and the dynamics of speciation. Evolution).
Departament de Geologia de l’Universitat Autònoma (Barcelona).
Col·laborem en un projecte a conques del Neogen del Marroc des del punt de vista de la biostratigrafia.
Departamento de Paleontologia de la Universidad de Granada (Espanya).
Col·laborem en l’estudi de les faunes del Neogen i quaternari de les conques del sud de la península Ibèrica. (Minwer-Barakat, R.; García-Alix, A., Martín Suárez, E. and Freudenthal, M., (2008) The latest Ruscinian and early Villanyian Arvicolinae from southern Spain re-examined: Biostratigraphical implications. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.28(3):841-850.---------Minwer-Barakat, R.; García-Alix, A., Agustí, J., Martín Suárez, E. and Freudenthal, M., (In press) The micromammal fauna from Negratín-1 (Guadix Basin, Southern Spain): new evidence of African-Iberian mammal exchanges during the Late Miocene, Palaeontolgy.
Departament de Paleontologia de la Universitat de Lyon (França)
Dr. P. Mein. Col·laborem en l’estudi de les faunes d'insectívors del Neogen. (Furió, M. & Mein, P. (2008) A new species of Deinsdorfia (Soricidae, Insectivora, Mammalia) from the Pliocene of Spain. Comptes Rendus Palevol , 7 (6): 347- 359).
National Museum of Natural History Naturalis, (Leiden, Holanda)
L., van den Hoek Ostende. Col·laborem en l’estudi de les faunes d'insectívors del Neogen. (van den Hoek Ostende, L. W., Furió, M. & García-Paredes, I. (2009) New data on Paenelimnoecus from the Middle Miocene of Spain in support of the subfamily Allosoricinae (Soricidae, Mammalia). Acta Paleontológica Polonica).
Montana State University, Department of Hearth Science (Montana, USA).
Franki Jackson. Col·laborem en l’estudi dels ous de dinosaure i la seva biologia reproductiva en postes d’ous del Mesozoic d’Argentina i Catalunya: (Jackson, F., Varrichio, J., Jackson, R., Vila, B., Chiappe, L. (2008) Comparison of water-vapor conductance on a titanosaur egg from Argentina with a Megaloolithus siruguei from Spain. Paleobiology, 34 (2): 229-246.--------Vila, B., Jackson, F., & Galobart, À. (submitted) Dinosaur eggs and clutches from Pinyes locality (southern Pyrenees). Ameghiniana.
Departament de Paleontologia de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Barcelona).
Dr. A. Malgosa. Col·laborem en l’estudi d’alguns primats fòssils. (Alba, D.M., Moyà-Solà, S., Malgosa, A., Casanovas-Vilar, I., Robles, J.M., Almécija, S., Galindo, Rotgers, C. and Bertó Mengual, J.V. (In press) A new species of Pliopithecus Gervais, 1849 (Primates: Pliopithecidae) from the Middle Miocene (MN8) of Abocador de Can Mata (els Hostalets de Pierola, Catalonia, Spain). Am. Jour. Phys. Anthrop.).
Universitat de Sassari (Italia). Dr. Stefano Enzo (Professor del Dept. Química, Univ. Sassari) i Giampaolo Piga (Estudiant Tirocinio a la UAB).
Projecte de recerca per intentar avaluar les possibilitats de desenvolupar un nou mètode de datació absoluta a partir de la difracció de raigs X. Piga, G., Santos-Cubedo, A, Moya-Solà, S., Brunetti, A., Malgosa, A. & Enzo, S. (in press, 2009): X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) and X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) investigation in human and animal fossil bones from Holocene to Middle Triassic. Journal of Archaeological Science
