Breaking News, Business, Financial and Economic News, World News from EconoTimes

Become a contributor

Bookmark Econotimes

Sun, Jul 12, 2026 11:07 AM All times are UTC

Follow Series

©Econometrics LLC . All Rights Reserved.

John Long

Strategic Professor in Palaeontology, Flinders University

Activity
Prof John Long researches the early evolution of vertebrates in order to unravel the stages of how the modern vertebrate body plan was assembled.

Many parts of our human anatomy had their origins back in the Early Palaeozoic (540-350 million years ago). This was when jaws, teeth, paired limbs, ossified brain-cases, intromittent genital organs, chambered hearts and paired lungs all appeared in early fishes.

He has conducted field work collecting fossils throughout Australia, SE Asia, South Africa, China and Antarctica.

Prof Long has served as the Vice President of Research and Collections at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (2009-2012), Head of Sciences at Museum Victoria (2004-2009) and as Curator of Vertebrate Palaeontology at the Western Australian Museum (1989-2004). He is currently the President of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology (2014-2016) and the Vice President of the Royal Society of South Australia (2014-2016).

For the past 30 years Prof Long has been collecting fossils from the Gogo sites in northern Western Australia, whose perfectly preserved 3-D fish fossils have yielded many significant discoveries, including mineralised soft tissues, the origins of complex sexual reproduction in vertebrates.

His discoveries include the State Fossil Emblem of Western Australia (Mcnamaraspis), the mother fish with the world's oldest vertebrate embryo (Materpiscis), a tetrapod-like fish with large holes on top of its head for air-breathing (Gogonasus), and the oldest evidence for copulation in vertebrates (Microbrachius).

He has also worked on fossil heritage issues, working with Government agencies over the years to help solve fossil-related crime and repatriate fossils smuggled out of other countries including China and Argentina.

Prof Long is an author of many adult and children's books, including non-fiction and fiction, covering topics as diverse as evolution, dinosaurs, fossil fishes, prehistoric mammals, travels in Antarctica, the illegal fossil trade, climate change and the birth of human civilisation.

His most recent books include " Dawn of the Deed -The Prehistoric Origins of Sex" (University of Chicago Press, 2012) which gives an account of the Gogo discoveries and explores their relevance and other fossils showing evidence for sexual behaviour for understanding sex in an evolutionary context, and "Frozen in Time - Prehistoric Life in Antarctica" (with Jeffrey Stilwell, CSIRO Publishing 2011).

Ancient fish evolved in shallow seas – the very places humans threaten today

Oct 28, 2018 13:13 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

You walk and talk and live on land, but your ancient relatives were fish. It took about 480 million years for these fish to evolve and adapt to different environments and become the many different back-boned species...

What evolution and motorcycles have in common: let's take a ride across Australia

Sep 30, 2018 22:08 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life

How can the development of motorcycles have anything to do with the story of the evolution of life on Earth? You need a palaeontologist to help answer that question, and one with a love of motorcycles. The article is...

Curious Kids: How many dinosaurs in total lived on Earth during all periods?

Aug 08, 2018 12:02 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

This is an article from Curious Kids, a series for children. The Conversation is asking kids to send in questions theyd like an expert to answer. All questions are welcome serious, weird or wacky! You might also like the...

The origins of those sexual organs: a fishy tale much more primitive than we thought

Jul 19, 2018 14:10 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Fossil discoveries from the Devonian rocks of Scotland and Australia first revealed that the earliest jawed fishes, the placoderms, reproduced using copulation in much the same way as sharks and rays do today. They also...

Economy

Deutsche Bank Sees Global Capital Shifts Reshaping Long-Term U.S. Dollar Outlook

Structural changes in global capital flows, technological innovation, and geopolitical developments are redefining the long-term outlook for the U.S. dollar, according to a new research note from Deutsche Bank. The bank...

Trump, Canada Reach Gordie Howe Bridge Deal Ahead of July 27 Opening

The $4.7 billion Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is set to open on July 27 after the United States and Canada reached a new agreement on toll revenue, ending months of uncertainty...

Gordie Howe Bridge to Open July 27 After U.S.-Canada Reach Toll Revenue Agreement

The long-awaited Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, is set to officially open on July 27 after the United States and Canada reached a new agreement over toll revenue,...

Fed Reaffirms 2% Inflation Goal, Vows Forceful Action to Anchor Price Expectations

The Federal Reserve reaffirmed its commitment to restoring price stability, saying it is prepared to act forcefully if necessary to keep longer-term inflation expectations anchored around its 2% target. The pledge came in...

Dollar Ends Week Higher as Yen Jumps on Japan Pension Fund Investment Plans

The U.S. dollar traded within a narrow range on Friday and was on track for a modest weekly gain as investors weighed evolving inflation expectations, Federal Reserve policy signals, and renewed geopolitical tensions in...

Politics

Iran's Supreme Leader Vows Revenge as Trump Threatens Massive U.S. Military Response

Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei vowed on Saturday to avenge the death of his father and predecessor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, escalating tensions with the United States as President Donald Trump warned that...

Iran Says It Closes Strait of Hormuz After Warning Shot at Vessel

Irans Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) navy announced early Sunday that it has closed the Strait of Hormuz until further notice after firing a warning shot at a vessel it claimed was attempting to transit through the strategic...

DOJ Subpoenas New York Times Journalists Over Air Force One Leak Report

The U.S. Department of Justice has ordered several New York Times journalists to appear before a federal grand jury after the newspaper reported on security concerns surrounding President Donald Trumps new Air Force One...

Ann Widdecombe Murder: Police Arrest Second Suspect, Rule Out Terrorism Motive

British police have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of murdering former UK government minister Ann Widdecombe, while investigators said there is currently no evidence linking the case to terrorism or a political...

Ukraine Says Drone Strikes Hit 21 Russian Oil Tankers as Russia Launches Fresh Missile Barrage

Ukraine said its military damaged 21 Russian tankers carrying crude oil and petroleum products during overnight drone strikes in the Sea of Azov, marking one of Kyivs most significant attacks on Russias energy transport...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former Apple employees, accusing them of misappropriating confidential company information and trade secrets tied to its hardware development efforts. The lawsuit, filed...

SK Hynix Soars 13% in Nasdaq Debut After Record $26.5 Billion IPO

SK Hynix made a strong debut on the Nasdaq on Friday, with its American Depositary Receipt (ADR) shares closing 12.8% higher at $168.01 after completing a record-breaking $26.5 billion U.S. initial public offering (IPO),...

Elon Musk Says Anthropic Leads AI Race as Claude Models Challenge OpenAI

Elon Musk has publicly praised artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, saying the company is obviously the current leader in AI, in a rare acknowledgment of a key rival as competition among top AI developers...

OpenAI Executive Fidji Simo to Step Down Amid Health Challenges Ahead of IPO

OpenAIs head of products and business, Fidji Simo, announced on Thursday that she will step down from her leadership role and transition to a part-time advisory position after experiencing complications from a chronic...

Samsung Chairman Lee Jae-yong Expected to Meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on AI and Chip Partnership

Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong is expected to meet Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in the United States by the end of July as the two technology giants explore deeper cooperation in semiconductor manufacturing and...