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Fossil Teeth Of Three-toed Browsing Horse Found In Panama Canal Earthworks
From Science Daily
Rushing to salvage fossils from the Panama Canal earthworks, Aldo Rincon, paleontology intern at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, unearthed a set of fossil teeth. Bruce J. MacFadden, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida in Gainesville, describes the fossil as Anchitherium clarencei, a three-toed browsing horse, in the May 2009 issue of the Journal of Paleontology.
By far the most complete fossil of a horse collected at the site in excavations spanning the last century, characteristics such as the shape of the teeth confirm the identity of two earlier finds and indicate that this horse was primarily a forest-dwelling browser living in the area between 15 and 18 million years ago. This evidence supports MacFadden's earlier proposal that the habitat was probably a mosaic of relatively dense forest and open woodlands. The presence of this browsing horse in Panama significantly extends the southern tip of its range from previous finds from roughly the same period in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota. >>> Go to Full Story >>>
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Panama moves to top of Obama's list for a trade agreement
By Chris Kraul / Los Angeles Times
The president, in a turnabout that reflects his vow to shun protectionism and his goals of rewarding strategic allies and confronting economic necessity, is pushing for passage of a deal by July 1.
A frequent critic of NAFTA and other trade pacts when he was on the campaign trail, President Obama is now throwing his support behind a trade deal with Panama, courting a potential backlash among his labor supporters. The administration is expected to make its case before a Senate Finance Committee hearing today in Washington, where his team is likely to face sharp questioning about Obama's change of heart on a deal the president now apparently views as a strategic imperative.
The Panama trade deal, which Obama is pushing for approval of by July 1, is one of three bilateral accords negotiated by the Bush administration that later stalled in Congress. The others are deals with Colombia and South Korea, both of which Obama wants passed this year as well.
But the president has offended some of his strongest election backers, including the AFL-CIO and human rights groups that oppose such trade agreements on general principles. The president risks "alienating core supporters in a way that could cripple the broader agenda," said Farnsworth, adding that "the fight in Washington has only just begun." >>> Go to Full Story >>>