Two mysticete fossil whales from the upper Miocene of the Pisco Formation in Peru are described that show healed bone-fractures in ribs. One specimen is preserved in a tuffaceous diatomaceous siltstone and the other specimen is preserved in siltstone. Both specimens are well preserved, mostly articulated and almost complete. Shark teeth were found associated with one of the skeletons, but both specimens lack any trace evidence for the activity macro-scavengers. We suggest that the cause of bone fracture may have been collision with rocky shores, other wales, or large predators. The fact that the rib fractures healed indicates that the whales did not die due the bone fractures. Sedimentologic and paleontological evidence indicate that they were rapidly buried in the marine platform with well-oxygenated water
Plastic pollution is one of the most serious environmental problems of this century because most plastics are single-use, and once their useful life is over, they become pollutants, since their decomposition takes approximately 100–400 years. The objective of this research is to evaluate the efficacy of low-density polyethylene (LDPE) biodegradation by G. mellonella in the district of Pangoa, Junín, Peru. For the development of the study, the G. mellonella was conditioned in three groups of beekeeping residues (beeswax, balanced diet, and wheat bran); after the conditioning stage, the biodegradation treatment was developed, which consisted of placing the G. mellonella in terrariums with the LDPE, the treatments were carried out at three different times (24, 36, and 48 h). To evaluate the efficacy of biodegradation, two analyses were taken into account: the Raman analysis of the low-density polyethylene samples and the weight reduction of the treated LDPE. The results of the Raman analysis indicated that the best treatment was the one applied with G. mellonella conditioned with beeswax, obtaining a wavelength intensity of 0.45 μ.a., while the weight reduction of the LDPE indicated that the best results were given at 36 h and conditioned with beeswax with a reduction of 236.3 mg. In conclusion, the use of G. mellonella for the biodegradation of low-density polyethylene is effective when it is conditioned with beeswax and the treatment is carried out at 36 h.
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