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Important link in evolution of life found near KunmingMonday, 13th October 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Fossilized crustaceans linked together in head-to-tail chains recently discovered near Kunming have been recognized as the earliest form of collective behavior on Earth and an important link in the evolution of life – and have raised new questions about some of the planet's earliest life forms. The 525 million year-old shrimplike specimens, located in the fossil-rich Chengjiang Lagerstätte roughly 50 kilometers southeast of Kunming, have been studied by a team of scientists from Yunnan University and University of Oxford and University of Leicester in the UK with their results published in the journal Science. The Chengjiang Lagerstätte is known among paleontologists for the fossilized sea life it contains, collectively referred to as 'Chengjiang Fauna'. Chengjiang Fauna is considered one of the 'Three faunas of the evolution of early life forms' along with Burgess Shale Fauna in western Canada and the Ediacaran Fauna of South Australia. Chengjiang Fauna centers around Maotian Mountain (帽天山) and contains numerous important discoveries, including Fuxianhuia, the ancestor of modern insects, which was discovered in 1994. It is known for its abundance of ancient arthropods, which include insects, spiders and crustaceans. A report in The Times of London speculates on how the chain of animals was preserved so well, during the act of migration:
When they died, possibly as a result of moving into water loaded with toxins or short of oxygen, they sank to the seabed, where they were covered in sediment. Researchers said that the migration they had embarked on could have been to reach a neighbouring area much as modern animals seek out winter feeding ground. Equally, it could have been a vertical migration, perhaps at night when the creatures may have travelled to the surface to feed in comparative safety. How, or even if, they swam when part of a chain has mystified the Anglo-Chinese research team because none of the limbs or antenna, assuming the creatures had them, have survived the fossilisation process. It is theorized that the animals may have simply 'surfed' currents or perhaps moved through a pulsating movement. According to Oxford professor Derek Siveter "It's still a bit of a mystery and there doesn't seem to be a direct comparison with any living animal." Images: Nature.com Tags: Chengjiang, Chengjiang Fauna, Chengjiang Lagerstätte, fossils, Leicester, Maotian Mountain, Oxford, paleontology, Yunnan University, 帽天山 Report: Kunming court to handle crimes against the environmentWednesday, 24th September 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (2)
Kunming municipal officials intend to create a trial court which will only handle environment-related lawsuits, according to Chinese media reports. Should the court be approved by the local government, it will handle criminal, civil and administration cases related to crimes against the environment. Defendants found guilty of such crimes will be "given severe punishments and must treat the areas they have polluted to clean them up," according to the reports. The news comes shortly after reports of heavy arsenic contamination in Yangzonghai Lake. It is likely that a large percentage of the more than 26,000 people living around the lake had been ingesting arsenic-tainted water for years. Now the area is suffering a shortage of drinking water, with the government shipping in supplies (see image above). Local officials in Kunming and the counties of Yiliang and Chengjiang are now engaged in finger-pointing and responsibility dodging, according to the website china.org.cn. According to reports: According to a County official in charge of environmental protection, officials were unaware of the high levels of arsenic accumulation in Yangzonghai Lake until June 28, when they received calls from the Yunnan Provincial Government. "We do not monitor Yangzonghai Lake, since Kunming City is responsible for that. They provide all our data. In the past, we knew little about arsenic pollution," he said. However, an official from the Environmental Protection Bureau of Chengjiang County emphasized that they have been making efforts to monitor the Yunnan Chengjiang Jinye Corporation, but it refuses to abide by the relevant regulations. Between 2002 and 2008 the company has been fined six times for environmental pollution infringements. Although the maximum fine of 100,000 yuan (US$14,653.52) has been imposed several times, the sum is trivial in comparison to the company's profits. As China Environmental Law Blog puts it: Thus, this wasn't a case of turning a blind eye to polluters, it was a failure of the regulatory system to provide sufficient disincentives to pollution. In other words, the lake is polluted with arsenic because even maximum penalty amounts are so "trivial" that it makes economic sense to "pay to pollute." Yangzonghai relief image: china.org.cn Tags: Chengjiang, environment, law, pollution, Yangzonghai Lake, Yiliang Shui On Land leading investment in Yunnan's tourism industryMonday, 7th July 2008 ~ Chris ~ Link ~ Comments (0)The group of eleven is led by HK-listed Shui On Land (瑞安房地产), best known for being developers of the Xintiandi and Corporate Avenue project in Shanghai. Total investment by Shui On Land in Yunnan this year is expected to reach 48 billion, more than the other 10 companies combined. In December 2007, Shui On signed a cooperation agreement with the provincial government – today it is working on four major projects in Kunming, Dali, Lijiang and Diqing. Smart Hero Group (骏豪集团), another Hong Kong developer, will invest more than 25 billion yuan in the city of Chengjiang, 70 kilometers southeast of Kunming. The project, located at the Sun Mountain International Ecological Tourism and Leisure Holdiday Area, will commence construction in September. Smart Hero has existing tourism and hospitality projects in the cities of Xiamen, Sanya and Chongqing. Smart Hero's investment in Chengjiang is indicative of a larger trend in Yunnan – in addition to established tourist cities such as Kunming, Lijiang, Dali and Shangri-la, smaller cities and lesser-known areas in Yunnan are beginning to attract larger amounts of investment. Other examples include Pu'er and Yangzonghai. Related article: Property giant Shui On moving into Yunnan Tags: Chengjiang, Chuxiong, Dali, Diqing, Lijiang, Shangri-la, Shui On Land, Smart Hero Group, tourism, travel, Xintiandi |
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