Monday, April 22, 2019

Indiana Daily Student

NEWS

Monday, April 22, 2019 idsnews.com

Editors Caroline Anders, Lexi Haskell and Emily Isaacman news@idsnews.com

CLAIRE LIVINGSTON | IDS

Gary Motz describes how he is creating 3D models of Megalonyx jeffersonii April 17 in the Indiana Geological and Water Survey. Motz and his colleague Polly Root Sturgeon want to both 3D print and use cardboard to recreate the skeletons.

IU to reconstruct ancient giant sloth fossil By Joey Bowling jobowl@iu.edu | @jwbowling08

t 10 to 12 feet standing up and with sharp claws to dig up plants, the sloth informally called Megajeff is making a comeback at least 10,000 years after extinction. The IU Megalonyx jeffersonii fossil was one they got rid of in what officials called “the great house cleaning.” Only five bones were salvaged. Now, the IU Indiana Geological and Water Survey is recreating the two-toed sloth’s relative. IU threw out many of its fossil collections to make room for students after a spike in enrollment in the 1940s, Polly Root Sturgeon, Indiana Geological and Water Survey outreach coordinator said. “One of the goals of our project is to make sure that we take better care of our collections,” Sturgeon said. It’s considered to be the most complete fossil of the species even today, Sturgeon said. The paleontologist who named Megajeff did so to honor Thomas Jefferson, who discovered the genus, IGWS assistant director for information services Gary Motz said. The reconstruction process started earlier this year, according to an IU press release. Motz said the five original pieces of Megajeff will be 3D-printed to create copies of the bones so the public can more easily interact with them and not break them. The other missing parts will be filled in by collections from other universities and museums, Motz said. By scanning the fossils and creating digital render-

COURTESY PHOTO

IU paleontologist Gary Motz and Polly Root Sturgeon, IU education outreach coordinator for the Indiana Geological and Water Survey, 3D scans bones of an ancient Magalonyx jeffersonii, a species of giant ground sloth, Feb. 22 the at Indiana State Museum.

ings, they can be printed out and cut using laser cutters. Finally, the entire fossil will be assembled using cardboard cutouts by pairing with the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi School of Art, Architecture + Design. Motz said the digital renderings will be published with additional information,and people can magnify the bone images. One such detail is a handwritten IU property tag etched into one of the bones. Motz said IU is pioneering these reconstruction and fabrication techniques, using computerized processes and laser cutters to create the cutout. “We’re pushing the envelope in a different sector for that blending of arts and sciences, especially in digital fabrication,” he said.

Motz said he wants the Megajeff recreation to look jarring, in order to drive home the fact that IU used to have the fossils. He said he wants the public to question why we don’t still have it. Sturgeon said David Dale Owen, Indiana’s first geologist, was told about the Megajeff fossil by a group of schoolboys and later added it to his collection in the 1800s. When Owen died, it was sold to IU in the late 19th century. Despite its importance to paleontology, the fossils were discarded sometime during the 1940s, Sturgeon said. One alumni letter said the bones were thrown out a second-story window of Owen Hall, she said. “The less you take care of your collections, the less importance they have,” Sturgeon said. “Part of our project is to

make sure that never happens again.” Sturgeon said five bones were salvaged from that cleanup and later placed in the Mathers Museum of World Cultures. However, as the museum expanded and focused more on culture, it gave away the bones to the Indiana State Museum, where they reside today. Motz said the species not only represents a history of the state but also the country. Motz said there was a record which talked about how the Megajeff almost didn’t come back to IU. A Philadelphia scientist asked to see the fossil and upon examining it told Owens the specimen wouldn’t be given back. Owens wrote back in a strongly worded letter that he would be in Philadelphia in two weeks to collect it. And he would bring it back. IU professor and paleontologist David Polly said the preservation of fossils is extremely important because they are the only direct evidence of past life. He said chemists can recreate experiments to test theories, but paleontologists only have one source to determine information: the fossil itself. “The story of the history of life really does belong to all of us,” Polly said. “Specimens like this particular one, like I said, are part of the history of the state.” Polly said IU and Indiana in general have been extremely important in the exploration and furthering the studies of geology and paleontology. Other important fossils have been found in the state as well. The first fossil of a Dire wolf, a creature made popular by TV shows such as "Game of Thrones," was found in Evansville, Indiana, in 1854, Polly said in an IGWS article.

Judge rules annexation lawsuit unconstitutional By Lilly St. Angelo lstangel@iu.edu | @lilly_st_ang

A judge ruled Thursday that the Indiana legislature's last minute amendment to a 2017 bill to stop Bloomington’s proposed annexations of land was unconstitutional, according to court documents. The state has until May 20 to make an appeal. The lawsuit, which has

been going on for nearly two years, was filed after state legislators added a clause to the state budget bill in April 2017 that halted municipal annexations in the state for five years. Bloomington was the only city affected by the clause. Judge Frank Nardi of Monroe Circuit Court 6 ruled that because the clause halting annexation

had nothing to do with the budget bill and only affected Bloomington, the legislation was unconstitutional. The city began annexation efforts in February 2017 to move 10,000 acres within city limits. Mayor John Hamilton has repeatedly said this was a standard choice for a city looking to grow. The city planned for the annexation to be voted on

by late June 2017 after several public outreach meetings and hearings. On April 21, 2017, the st ate legislature passed the amendment to the state budget bill that effectively stopped Bloomington — and all other Indiana cities — from annexing any land for five years. In May, the city filed a lawsuit against the state claiming the legislation tar-

2019 Distinguished Faculty Research Lecture Lauren Robel, Provost and Executive Vice President, and Rick Van Kooten, Vice Provost for Research, cordially invite you to attend:

The Potential for Discrimination in an Era of Education Privatization

geted Bloomington. The state defended the amendment, saying it was necessary because of Bloomington’s annexation efforts’ “urgency.” Nardi ruled against this defense, saying the city’s proposed plan was not abnormal in timing since the last annexation was in 2004. He also said the city built in adequate time and opportunities for residents to

voice their concerns. In a press release, Hamilton said that Thursday’s ruling underlined the importance of stopping special state legislation that singles out specific communities. “We are pleased that this ruling affirms the very deliberate, detailed and considerate approach we took in 2017 to expanding our City limits,” Hamilton said in the release.

idsnews

Get breaking news alerts from the IDS Facebook Messenger. Search @idsnews in the Facebook Messenger app.

Matt Rasnic Editor-in-Chief Jesse Naranjo and Lydia Gerike Managing Editors

Tuesday, April 30, 2019 • 3-4:30 PM Indiana University Cinema, 1213 E. 7th Street Reception immediately following in the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Lobby (275 N. Jordan)

www.idsnews.com Newsroom: 812-855-0760 Business Office: 812-855-0763 Fax: 812-855-8009

Hannah Boufford Managing Editor of Digital

Matt Begala Creative Director Roger Hartwell Advertising Director Matthew Brookshire Circulation Manager

The Indiana Daily Student publishes Mondays and Thursdays throughout the year while University classes are in session.

Suzanne Eckes Professor of Educational Policy and Leadership Studies IU Bloomington School of Education

Part of IU Student Media, the IDS is a self-supporting auxiliary University enterprise. Founded on Feb. 22, 1867, the IDS is chartered by the IU Board of Trustees, with the editor-in-chief as final content authority. The IDS welcomes reader feedback, letters to the editor and online comments. Advertising policies are availale on the current rate card. Readers are entitled to single copies. Taking multiple copies may constitute theft of IU property, subject to prosecution. Paid subscriptions are entered through third-class postage (USPS No. 261960) at Bloomington, IN 47405.

130 Franklin Hall • 601 E. Kirkwood Ave. • Bloomington, IN 47405-1223