This fossil of a liana gives evidence that modern-type rainforests may have been around as early as 80 million years ago. The stone had been unearthed in the 1990s by housing construction near Granite Bay in Sacramento, California, and stored in a museum. Now, Brian Atkinson, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the University of Kansas, discovered that the find pushes back the known origins of lamiids to the Cretaceous, extending our knowledge of nearly 40,000 species of flowering plants, including modern-day staple crops like coffee, tomatoes, potatoes, and mint.
A slide show has “impressive objects crafted of granite.“
Granite and porphyry are the materials for the new paving on the Barcelona’s famous La Rambla promenade. Work began in October 2022 (Spanish).
Covid-19 brought an increase in stone consumption also in the UK. In 2019 imports )making 80-90% of consumption) were valued at £464 million, 2021 they were £632 million – an increase of 36%, trade magazine Stone Specialist writes in its annual market analysis.
It took nearly 40 years to build the Washington Monument. A lack of funds stalled the tribute to the first US president and, at one point, occupied by a political fringe group. National Geographic tells the story.
Italian Margraf company has launched a cooperation with French designer Jean-Michel Willmotte (Italian).
Italian Longhi company for furniture and design has opened a showroom in Qingdao City in Shandong province, China.
Italian company Salvatori, known for its design with natural stone, has opened its first showroom in the US in NYC (Italian).
Rocamat and Polycor have signed an exclusive agreement for the sale of Rocamat to Polycor France Holding, a subsidiary of the Polycor Group (French).
Asphalt volcanoes have first been discovered in the Gulf of Mexico. These vents erupt hot tar instead of lava, slowly building up smooth mounds that can be several dozen feet tall. Now scientists from the University of California – Santa Barbara have compiled data for marine live at such sites in the Santa Barbara Channel at the shore of California. They found that the leaking natural petroleum creates fascinating geologic and biologic features.
Fjords, measured by size, are exceptionally effective carbon sinks, areas where carbon is removed from the cycle and stored, the University of South Florida researchers write.
Video of the month: A Capuchin Monkey uses a rock and a log as hammer and anvil to crack palm nuts for food in the cerrado of Brazil.
(01.03.2023, USA: 03.01.2023)
