Windows to the Past: How U of I researchers use coal balls to answer big questions скачать в хорошем качестве

Windows to the Past: How U of I researchers use coal balls to answer big questions

What is a coal ball? It's an archive of the past, a moment frozen in time. It's a perfectly preserved window into what plants used to be like 300 million years ago. The Tom Phillips coal ball collection at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign is the world's largest collection, made up of nearly 50,000 balls of coal brimming with the histories of ecosystems, extinct plants, changing climates, and more. Researchers within the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences are tapping into the scientific potential of these coal balls, such as examining cells of plants to learn about their physiology and anatomy during specific time periods. Join Scott Elrick (the head of Bedrock Geology Association at the Illinois State Geological Survey), Surangi Punyasena (a professor of plant biology within the College of LAS), and Scott Lakeram (a plant biology graduate student) as they explain how UIUC is using these windows to the deep past—from the creation of over 250,000 coal ball peels to the digitization of the pieces for researchers across the globe. And, see how these ancient pieces of history can help us answer big questions of today, from combating climate change to learning about rare earth elements, which are critical for renewable energy. For more information on the Tom Phillips coal ball collection, visit the College of LAS website: https://las.illinois.edu/news/magazine