Presentation by Hillary Maddin

Abstract:

The invasion of land by vertebrate animals (those with backbones) was a turning point in the evolutionary history of Life on this planet. The fossil record of this great event is patchy at best; however, our very own Nova Scotia is one of the only places on the globe to shed light on this important event. There, the World’s first reptiles and ancestors of our own lineage evolved, establishing the current patterns of animal diversity on Earth today. In this presentation, Prof. Maddin will discuss historical fossils, as well as the many new discoveries made by her team over the last five years of field expeditions to the Carboniferous of Nova Scotia.