OpenUCT :: Browsing by Subject "mass extinctions"

Browsing by Subject "mass extinctions"

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Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - An abundance of bacteria
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Rybicki, Ed
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Professor Ed Rybicki, a microbiologist based in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at UCT. They discuss the history and diversity of microbes on earth and how they played a key role in the development of oxygen in the atmosphere. Professor Rybicki also outlines how essential microbes are for our survival, as they help us to digest food, produce vitamins, and fight off disease.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - From simple to complex
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan uses several examples to explain how life on Earth has evolved over billions of years from simple unicellular organisms to the complex multicellular lifeforms that we see today. She makes the point that there is clear evidence of the evolution and diversification of organisms by looking at fossils from different time periods from all over the world.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - Importance of knowing the past
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan reflects on the information presented in previous videos. She highlights points about the immense age of the Earth, the historical and continued success of microbes, as well as the evidence of increasing complexity over time through examining the fossil record. This is video 7 in Week 1 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - In the beginning
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan discusses the early geological record in terms of rock and fossil formation. She discusses how fossilisation occurs in plants and animals, and how the fossil record only records a portion of all the lifeforms that have existed on earth. She discusses how scientists can use the fossil record to explore the history of life on earth and trace current biodiversity to what existed in the past. She then discusses the different epochs or eras in the development of life from the earliest forms of life, to the emergence of multicellular organisms, to the emergence of life on land. This is video 3 in Week 1 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - Life on earth
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan discusses the history of life on earth. She begins by discussing the earliest evidence of life, which dates back to about 3.5 billion years ago. She then goes on to discuss the evolution of complex multicellular life, the Cambrian explosion, and the movement of plants and animals onto land. She also discusses some of the unanswered questions about the history of life, such as the cause of the Cambrian explosion.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - The five big extinction events
(2017-02-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Anusaya discussed the background extinction rate on earth and provides an overview of the five major extinction events (the Big Five). She also describes the common features of these major extinction events. This is video 2 in Week 1 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 1 - Welcome and introductions
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, UCT paleobiologist Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan introduces herself, provides context around the topic of extinctions and the fossil record, and outlines the content of the course. This is video 1 in Week 1 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 2 - A fossil ecosystem
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Guess, Rob
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan interviews paleontologist Dr Rob Gess about the Devonian fossil site called Waterloo Farm in Grahamstown, South Africa. He discusses the unique nature of the site given how it contains rare fossils with soft tissue preserved and he goes on to describe several interesting examples of these fossils.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 2 - Development of jaws
(2017-03-17) Miyashita, Tetsuto
In this video, Canadian scholar Tetsuto Miyashita explains how the development of backbones set humans apart from other species. He then describes the Ordovician-Silurian extinction event and how it was around this time that vertebrates developed jaws and become the most successful predators.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 2 - Setting the stage for the diversity of life
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan outlines the topic of two major extinction events that will be discussed in subsequent videos: the end of the Ordovician and the end of the Devonian. She introduces Tetsuto Miyashita who will talk about the diversification of early vertebrates and the origin of jawed fishes. She then introduces Rob Guess who talk talk about the diversity of fossils present in a locality in South Africa.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 2 - The effect of extinctions
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan reflects on the first and second mass extinction events that were discussed in previous videos. She discusses the topics covered in the previous week of the MOOC, specifically around the radiation of tetrapods and the development of bony fishes. She reflects on some of the specific effects these events had and introduces the topic of the End Permian extinction to be discussed in subsequent videos. This is video 6 in Week 2 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 2 - The End Devonian extinction event
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan discusses the end-Devonian extinction event, which wiped out about 87% of all marine species. She explores the possible causes of this extinction, focusing on the theory of how the expansion of forests played a role. This is video 3 in Week 2 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 2 - The rise of tetrapods
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan introduces the topic of tetrapod radiation in the wider context of vertebrate radiation which began 500 million years ago. She describes the distinct evolutionary characteristics of tetrapods and the path of their development from bony fishes.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 3 - A crisis before the end of the Permian
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Day, Michael
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Dr Michael Day about the reptilian fauna of the Permian and how South Africa is well-known for fossils from this time period. He talks about the Guadalupian extinction event and how it was mainly affected by the very large terrestrial biota of the time.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 3 - Before and after the End Permian Extinction Event
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan introduces the topic of the End Permian extinction which took place 252 million years ago and was the third and largest mass extinction event. She introduces postdoctoral researcher Michael Day who will discuss the Guadalupian extinction. She then introduces palaeontologist/geologist Roger Smith about the extraordinary mammal-like reptiles from South Africa. Finally, she introduces paleobotanist John Anderson about his research into the plant and insect biodiversity that spans the Permian-Triassic boundary.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 3 - Bringing life to its knees
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan explores the development of reptiles and dinosaurs and how they laid the ground for the future development of birds and mammals. She then explores important details about the third mass extinction event. She focuses on the loss of biodiversity and the recovery period that followed while exploring several hypotheses for why this extinction event occurred. This is video 2 in Week 3 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 3 - Lessons from the past
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan reflects on the content presented in previous videos about the End Permian extinction event. She notes how this event had significant influence on the development of life, and in determing which species survived and diversified. She introduces the topic of subsequent videos: the End Trassic and the End Cretaceous extinction events.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 3 - Plant and insect diversification
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Anderson, John
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Emeritus Professor John Anderson who reflects on how the End Permian extinction event wrought profound changes in the plant diversity of the time. He discusses specific examples of the change in the kinds of plants present before and after the End Permian event.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 3 - Reading rocks
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Smith, Roger
In this video, Professor Anusaya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Dr Roger Smith about his 30-year career working on fossils in the Karoo basin of South Africa. He outlines the research questions he has investigated, the scientific techniques he has used, and the interesting findings he has uncovered. This is video 3 in Week 3 of the Extinctions: Past and Present MOOC.
Open Access
Extinctions: Past and Present Week 4 - A window in time
(2017-03-17) Chinsamy-Turan, Anusuya; Haarhoff, Pippa
In this video, Professor Anusuya Chinsamy-Turan interviews Pippa Haarhoff, manager of the West Coast Fossil Park. They discuss the fossils found at the park and how they reveal a different habitat from today. They discuss how the fossil site was discovered and role of local people in conservation efforts.