Paleonet: CHARNIA AND THE EVOLUTION OF EARLY LIFE

[Mark Purnell]

Please find below details of a forthcoming meeting that may be of interest
to paleonet list members (esp. those located in the UK). The talks (by
leading international authorities on the Ediacaran) will be accessible to
students and may provide a useful supplement to undergrad palaeo courses (in
addition to updating you on the latest developments in this fast moving
area). Please feel free to distribute this information.

Further details, including how to order tickets, are online at
www.le.ac.uk/gl/charnia2007

LEICESTER'S FOSSIL CELEBRITY: CHARNIA AND THE EVOLUTION OF EARLY LIFE

Organised by Leicester Literary and Philosophical Society Section C
(Geology) in conjunction with the Department of Geology, University of
Leicester, & Leicester Museums and Galleries

Annual Saturday Seminar, 10 March 2007
9.00 am - 5.00 pm
Bennett Building, LT1, University of Leicester

The Precambrian fossil biota preserved in Charnwood Forest is of major
international significance. Charnia and Charniodiscus were the first
'Ediacarans' to be recognised as the macroscopic remains of Precambrian
life, even before the significance of the famous Australian biota was
realised. (Ediacarans are bizarre extinct multicellular organisms which may,
or may not, be the first fossil animals). This Seminar will highlight the
global importance of the Ediacaran biota from Charnwood Forest. 2007 and
2008 mark the 50th anniversaries of the discovery and description of the
biota, so it is an ideal time to celebrate Charnia and the Charnwood
Ediacarans. The Charnwood fossils continue to generate controversy and
debate, and the latest hi-tech methods are providing surprising new insights
into their evolutionary significance. This and other exciting science will
be presented at the meeting by distinguished speakers and researchers from
Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the UK. Everyone is welcome and the talks
are aimed to appeal to the widest range of listeners. The Seminar is running
in conjunction with National Science & Engineering Week and is part of the
Geological Society's Bicentennial and the Geologists' Association's 150th
anniversary celebrations.

PROGRAMME
The discovery, naming, and further finds of the Charnwood biota
Prof. Roger Mason, London, UK and Wuhan, China
Dr. Trevor Ford, Dept. of Geology, University of Leicester, UK
Dr. Helen Boynton, Leicester, UK

Geological setting, environment and age of the Charnwood biota
Dr. John Carney and Dr. Steve Noble, British Geological Survey, Keyworth, UK

Sequencing the Neoproterozoic
Dr. Dan Condon, NERC Isotope Geoscience Laboratories, Keyworth, UK, and
Prof. Sam Bowring, MIT, Cambridge, Ma, USA

The Great Divide: Life on Earth before and after the Ediacaran transition
Dr. Nicholas Butterfield, University of Cambridge, UK

The Ediacaran Diaspora: Diversity of the Ediacara Biota in South Australia
Dr. James Gehling, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia

Life after Snowball: The Mistaken Point Biota and the Origin of Animal
Ecosystems
Dr. Guy Narbonne, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada

The Charnwood Biota as seen from Arctic Russia Ediacarans and their
environments
Dr. Dima Grahzdankin, University College Dublin, Ireland

Towards a new evolutionary framework for the Ediacaran biota
Prof Martin Brasier and Jonathan Antcliffe, University of Oxford, UK

TO ORDER TICKETS
Tickets for the Seminar and Reception are £20.00 with a buffet lunch or
£15.00 without. If you would like tickets, please download a from from
www.le.ac.uk/gl/charnia2007


Dr Mark A. Purnell
Department of Geology
University of Leicester
University Road
Leicester LE1 7RH
UK
Tel +44 116 252 3645 Fax +44 116 252 3918
www.le.ac.uk/gl/map2/

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