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Cover Picture and Issue Information
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
methods in ecology and evolution
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.425
H-Index - 105
ISSN - 2041-210X
DOI - 10.1111/2041-210x.13225
Subject(s) - cover (algebra) , citation , identification (biology) , computer science , ecology , data science , geography , library science , biology , engineering , mechanical engineering
This month’s cover image shows an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or drone) flying across the badlands of the Oligocene‐agedWhite River Group of Wyoming, USA (~30 million years old) to verify potential fossils identified autonomously by the UAV the night before.Fossil candidates can now be searched out using fluorescence signatures detected by a laser‐scanning system onboard an autonomous UAV that scans the ground for fossils at night. The new system is detailed by Kaye and Pittman in this issue and promises to improve how efficientlyfossils are discovered in the field. The system also has strong potential for broader application in other areas of ecology and evolution through theidentification of other mineral, rock and biological targets. Photo credit: ©Thomas G Kaye & Michael Pittman.