“Dessert with Experts” is an event hosted by the ETSU College of Arts and Sciences held on Zoom at 7 p.m. every Tuesday. Throughout the pandemic, it has acted as a way for students and the public to share a common interest and form connections, all while being safe.
Dr. Blaine Schubert is a Vertebrate Paleontologist here on campus. He is the Executive Director of the Center of Excellence in Paleontology, which supervises the Gray Fossil Site. He also serves as a Professor in the Department of Geosciences at ETSU. His research on campus focuses on prehistoric amphibians, reptiles, and mammals from the past 5 million years.
Before his presentation on the Short-faced Bear, he let the audience know that his favorite dessert is Tarte à la Bouillie, a Cajun custard pie with a graham cracker crust.
The first part of his presentation focused on the Gray Fossil Site & Museum. The Gray Fossil Site & Museum was discovered in 2000 and was opened in 2007. This museum partners with Hands On Museum, collaborating with ETSU for research purposes.
The fossils found at this site are about 5 million years old. This site is very unique, seeing as this is one of two sites in all of North America to have Red Panda fossils, and it has discovered a possible new species of Mastodon here, which was once mistaken for an elephant at its initial discovery.
These bears were small omnivores. Their diet is still debated, but they were predators, so they devoured as they pleased.
The bear discovered at the Grey site was an Early Pliocene Bear, which is a new species of the subfamily. These bears have sexual dimorphism, meaning the females are usually smaller, found in most bears. The females used caves, which is where the best preserved fossils have been found.
This interesting series will continue with a new expert each time this series airs. Check out the ETSU National Alumni Association website and social media pages for all upcoming “Dessert with Experts” events, along with all other events they will host this semester.
