Media Advisory: Commonwealth Faculty Member Finds Global Audience for Research

Bloomsburg, PA (01/23/2023) — A scholarly article co-authored by Alan Gishlick, assistant professor of Environmental, Geographical and Geological Sciences, has made waves in the popular media around the world over the last week. The paper, "Trilobite tridents demonstrate sexual combat at 400 Mya" published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, outlines how a trident found on trilobite fossils from 400 million years ago may be the earliest example of specialized sexual combat in the animal kingdom. Gishlick is based at the Bloomsburg campus.

Among many outlets, Gishlick's research was covered by:

• CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2023/01/23/world/trilobites-trident-earliest-example-of-sexual-combat-scn/index.html
• The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/16/science/trilobite-trident-sexual-combat.html
• The Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-jousting-trilobite-might-be-the-first-known-creature-to-fight-for-a-mate-180981478/
• The New Scientist: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2354846-trilobites-used-trident-like-horns-to-fight-over-mates-like-stags/

Media interested in interviewing Dr. Gishlick should contact Eric Foster at efoster@commonwealthu.edu.