Two research findings of CUG listed as top 10 Chinese paleontological achievements

Two pieces of research conducted by Professor Xie Shucheng and Professor Tong Jinnan from China University of Geosciences (CUG) have been featured on the list of the top 10 Chinese paleontological achievements in 2021, according to a release ceremony held by the Palaeontological Society of China (PSC) in Nanjing, capital city of East China's Jiangsu province, on March 10.

In his research titled "the Reconstruction and Tracing of Different Paleoclimate Factors by Palaeolipids," Professor Xie and his study group used geo-microorganisms (bacteria and archaea) and vegetable lipid molecules to build original substitutive indicators in the tracing of different paleoclimate factors. The findings have opened a new direction to integrate geobiology with the research of global climate change, and have highlighted the application prospects and scientific communication values of geo-microorganisms in earth science.

Professor Tong and his study group have conducted the analyses of biological and environmental information found in continental geology to reveal the disturbance of the terrestrial ecosystem, reconstructed the development trend of the atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide during the transition between the Permian Period and Triassic Period, and discovered the sharp increase of obscurum spore tetrad in the enrichment zone of heavy metals. The latest findings are of vital importance to comprehensively understand the link between climate evolution, terrestrial extinction, and physiological response during the Paleo-Mesozoic transition, and to conduct quantitative studies of Earth's climate sensitivity throughout its geological history.

The PSC was founded in 1929 and is one of the earliest domestic academic organizations of natural sciences. Receiving wide attention from academic and social circles, the annual selection of the top 10 Chinese paleontological achievements was formally launched in 2017 to promote the scientific popularization and the research of palaeontological studies, as well as the conservation of fossils.