{"id":7760,"date":"2026-08-22T23:22:31","date_gmt":"2026-08-22T19:22:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/?p=7760"},"modified":"2026-08-24T00:33:50","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:33:50","slug":"7th-international-palaeontolgy-congress-ipc7-cape-town-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/7th-international-palaeontolgy-congress-ipc7-cape-town-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"7th International Palaeontology Congress (IPC7) – Cape Town, South Africa (30 November – 3 December 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am taking part in the 7th International Palaeontological Congress (IPC7)<\/a>, due to be held in the vibrant and beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa, from 30 November – 3 December 2026.<\/p>\n

I will be the presenting author making an oral presentation in the Congress Session Theme 21: Communicating paleosciences<\/a>.\u00a0 The paper is as follows:<\/p>\n

Communicating palaeosciences at the Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi
\n<\/strong>Mark Jonathan Beech1<\/sup>*, Luca Bellucci1<\/sup>, Shamma Alhammadi1<\/sup>, Mariam Alhassani1<\/sup> & Phillip Manning1<\/sup><\/p>\n

1<\/sup><\/em>Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates<\/em><\/p>\n

*e-mail: mbeech@nhmad.ae<\/p>\n

Abstract:<\/strong>
\nThe Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi (NHMAD) is dedicated to advancing public understanding of natural history, but with a major focus on geoscience and palaeontology through innovative exhibitions, education, and research programs. The museum aims to bridge the gap between research and community awareness by showcasing global geological and fossil heritage but with a focus on UAE sites and\u00a0specimens Through immersive exhibitions, interactive displays, and educational programs tailored to diverse audiences, the museum brings to life the story of Earth\u2019s history and the\u00a0evolution of life. A central goal for the museum\u00a0is to facilitate palaeosciences to be more accessible and relevant to the wider public. The approach of the\u00a0museum team is to integrate cutting-edge technologies, such as state-of-the-art X-ray imaging, to foster curiosity and facilitate hands-on learning experiences based on objects from the collections. The NHMAD has curated an exceptional gallery dedicated to Late Miocene fossils discovered in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, showcasing fossils that date back approximately seven million years. The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to resurrect\u00a0a long-extinct world and bring both flora and fauna from the Late Miocene back to life. Key partnerships with schools, universities, and international research institutions further enhance the museum\u2019s education\u00a0and outreach program, supporting the development of scientific literacy and inspiring future generations. Special attention is given to engaging Emirati youth and families, aligning with national strategies to promote knowledge-based growth and cultural relevance of the natural world. Ultimately, the NHMAD serves as an intercultural platform for dialogue between scientists and the 200+ nationalities that live or visit\u00a0Abu Dhabi. Through the democratization and access to natural history and the palaeosciences, the museum not only enriches local and regional cultural landscapes but also contributes to global conversations on Earth\u2019s past, present, and future.<\/p>\n

Key words:<\/strong>
\nnatural history, museum, UAE, communication, palaeoscience<\/p>\n

\n

Our Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi team will also be co-authoring a second paper in the Congress Session Theme 22: Cenozoic vertebrates of Africa<\/a>. The paper is as follows:<\/p>\n

A new large civet from the Late Miocene of Abu Dhabi highlights the biogeographic crossroads between Asia and Africa<\/strong><\/p>\n

Alberto Valenciano 1,2*<\/sup>, Mark Jonathan Beech3<\/sup> & Luca Bellucci3<\/sup><\/p>\n

1<\/sup><\/em> Departamento de Geodin\u00e1mica, Estratigraf\u00eda y Paleontolog\u00eda, Facultad de Ciencias Geol\u00f3gicas, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, Spain<\/em><\/p>\n

2<\/sup><\/em> Research and Exhibitions, Iziko Museums of South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa<\/em><\/p>\n

3<\/sup><\/em> Natural History Museum Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates<\/em><\/p>\n

*e-mail: albvalen@ucm.es<\/p>\n

Abstract:<\/strong>
\nThe Baynunah Formation of western Abu Dhabi preserves one of the most important Late Miocene terrestrial vertebrate records in the Arabian Peninsula. In February 2026, a right hemimandible of a large viverrid (NHMAD2026.00059.1) was discovered at Shuwaihat 2 (c. 7 Ma), representing the first record of the family Viverridae from the Arabian Peninsula. This discovery provides a unique opportunity to investigate the evolutionary history of large viverrines and to assess the role of the Middle East in Late Miocene faunal exchanges between Asia, Africa and Europe. Preliminary morphological and biometric analyses indicate that the specimen differs from the extant African civet, Civettictis civetta<\/em>, in possessing a more elongated p4 and a more slender m1. It is also distinct from the living Asian civets Viverra zibetha<\/em> and Viverra tangalunga<\/em>, the Late Miocene African species Sahelictis korei<\/em> from Chad, and several Asian Miocene species of Visnhuictis<\/em> from the Siwaliks and China (e.g. V. yuanmoensis<\/em>, V. (?) chienjensis<\/em> and V. hasnoti<\/em>). In contrast, the Abu Dhabi specimen exhibits notable similarities to the early Pliocene Civettictis vulpidens<\/em> from Langebaanweg (South Africa) as well as to the Eurasian giant civets Megaviverra carpathorum<\/em> and Megaviverra peii<\/em>. These affinities suggest that the Arabian Peninsula may have functioned as an important dispersal corridor for large viverrines between Asia and Africa during the end of the Late Miocene. Ongoing morphological, phylogenetic and palaeobiogeographic analyses will further test these evolutionary and biogeographic hypotheses.<\/p>\n

Key words:<\/strong>
\nCarnivora, Viverridae, Miocene, Paleobiogeography<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  I am taking part in the 7th International Palaeontological Congress (IPC7), due to be held in the vibrant and beautiful city of Cape Town, South Africa, from 30 November – 3 December 2026. I will be the presenting author making an oral presentation in the Congress Session Theme 21: Communicating paleosciences.\u00a0 The paper is … Continue reading 7th International Palaeontology Congress (IPC7) – Cape Town, South Africa (30 November – 3 December 2026)<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7760"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7760\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7770,"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7760\/revisions\/7770"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.markbeech.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}