A l'UM la science [S01-ep05] : From the giant sloth to the sclerochronology platform
This week, Pierre-Olivier Antoine, paleontologist atIsem, tells us about the discovery of the first giant sloth fossil in French Guiana. In the second part of the program, Maylis Labonne and Franck Ferraton from the Marbec laboratory take you on a tour of the the sclerochronology platform.
And direction Guyana where a strange creature is waiting for you. He looks like a Spanish broom, with huge arms ending in three Freddy Krueger-like claws, eyes as round as marbles and a legendary slowness. You've recognized him, of course, but could you recognize his ancestor?
At the end of 2020, illegal gold diggers unearthed a nugget much more precious than gold: a skeleton of Eremotheriumlaurillardi, or giant sloth, a species that can grow up to 4 meters high and disappeared from the surface of the globe 12,000 years ago. From October 12 to 18, Pierre-Olivier Antoine, a paleontologist atIsem, went with his team to the site of what he describes as a "great discovery" in order to dig up the maxilla, mandible, radius and other fossil elements and identify them. He tells us all about this expedition worthy of an episode of Indiana Jones.
To read:
- Fossil of a giant sloth, a species extinct for 12,000 years, discovered in Guyana (Le Monde 26/10/2021)
- Fossil of a 12,000-year-old giant sloth found in French Guiana (Geo 27/10/2021)
In the second part of the program, we take you to the Triolet campus to visit the sclerochronology platform with Maylis Labonne and Franck Ferraton, who manage to make fish otoliths or shark vertebrae speak to determine their age or even to retrace the paths they have taken. A real detective work that they make us discover today...
At UM la science you have the program, let's go!
Coproduction: Divergence FM / University of Montpellier
Animation: Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interview: Aline Périault / Lucie Lecherbonnier
Reportage : Aline Périault
Production: Anna Demeulandre
