Two excellently preserved specimens of Mixosaurus cornalianus from the Anisian layers of the Middle Triassic Formazione di Besano, with soft parts associated with well-articulated skeletal elements, revealed the presence in this species of a dorsal fin and of a well-developed, triangular dorsal lobe of the caudal fin, both stiffened by an array of fibre bundles, as in Jurassic fast-swimming ichthyosaurs. This finding testifies that efficient swimming exaptations were already present in some Middle Triassic ichthyosaurs. Mixosaurus is then the oldest amniote so far known that developed a dorsal fin. The preservation of the fin shapes, scaleless skin, and three-dimensional dermal fibres is remarkable, allowing observation of their microstructure, and ruling out any artefactual interpretation. Stomach contents indicate that both specimens preyed upon cephalopods and small fishes. An internal organ, possibly a tract of the intestine, is also preserved in one specimen, which represents the first documented case in the ichthyosaurs of the Besano Formation, and a rarity in the fossil record of the clade.

The Gravettian settlements of Europe are considered as an expression of human adaptation to harsh climates. In Southern Europe, however, favorable vegetation-climate conditions supported hunters-gatherer subsistence and the maintenance of their large-scale networks. This was also the case of the North-Adriatic plain and the Apennine mountain ridge in Italy. Traditionally considered lacking evidence, the northern part of the Apennine ridge has recently yielded the Early Gravettian site of Piovesello, located at 870 m a.s.l. Survey and excavation revealed lithic artifacts in primary position embedded in loamy sediments. Radiocarbon dating, anthracological and extended palynological and microcharcoal analyses have been integrated to reconstruct the palaeoecological context of this camp which was probably positioned above the timberline in an arid rocky landscape, bounding the fronts of local glaciers close to their maximum expansion at the time of Greenland Stadial (GS) 5 (32.04 - 28.9 ka cal BP). Human activity left ephemeral traces represented by lithic artefacts, charcoal, and the introduction of radiolarites from sources in proximity to the site and of chert from very far western sources. Evidence from Piovesello contributes to the reconstruction of human and vegetation ecology during Late Pleistocene glaciations and also provides hints for the historical biogeography of petrophytic plants and their orographic relics in the northern Apennine.

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Fabio Fogliazza è il tecnico per la preparazione di fossili presso la sezione di Paleontologia del Museo di Storia Naturale di Milano, nonché illustratore scientifico ed artista di fama internazionale. Una delle sue opere più famose è la scultura “L’Uomo di Neanderthal”, oggi esposta in via permanente al Museo de la Evolución Humana di Burgos (Spagna). In molte sue opere Natura e Uomo vengono riprodotti secondo processi creativi, ponendosi di fatto come piece d’art dalla forte carica emotiva, in grado di suggestionare il pubblico nonostante la distanza geografica e temporale che spesso intercorre tra chi osserva e il soggetto rappresentato. Come redazione siamo entusiasti della possibilità di discutere con Fabio Fogliazza alcune tra queste sue opere in questo numero di Ex Novo, in cui tematiche di management, tutela di beni naturali e conservazione vengono non solo trattate attraverso le lenti scientifiche del sapere ma discutendo anche di approcci in cui emozioni ed esperienze sensoriali vengono incorporate in strategie più complesse. Di seguito si riporta la breve intervista con l’artista Fabio Fogliazza, che ci ha gentilmente permesso di riprodurre in copertina due delle sue opere ed altre ancora di seguito presentate.