Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to the Miraflores locks on the Panama Canal. We were able to watch the huge ships enter the locks and move from the Pacific into the canal. The size of the ships was amazing and you can really see the pride the people have for the canal. The current expansion project is under way to widen the locks and create a basin system that will conserve water when filling and emptying the locks. The design is incredible and will keep the canal an integral part of shipping.
We also had the chance to listen to an archeologist and how they are finding fossils in the rocks from the excavation zone of the canal. They are finding horse related mammals and rhinoceroses along with turtles, fish and other small mammals. I find this facinating as I work with 60mya rodent teeth and the Panama fossils are from about 20mya and are in amazing condition. They are finding evidence of animals that have been here earlier than once thought and also new species previously thought to not be in Panama. Being able to identify when an organism lived and where it lived is a fascinating subject and is hard work. I really think we should switch to measuring horse teeth compared to tiny rodents Dr. Anderson!
