Anthracite contains Carboniferous mammal fossils.

Pennsylvanian anthracite contains red blood cell remains of a Carboniferous mammal

Abstract
This research builds upon previous discoveries of fossils excavated from coal mines. This research found mammal’s first appearance on Earth should be at least 95 million years earlier than previously known, as a piece of Pennsylvanian anthracite coal of at least 290 mya is discovered to contain red blood cell remains of a mammal. The present record indicates the earliest fossil of mammal ( Hadrocodium ) appeared on Earth approximately 195 mya. However, this research discovered plentiful remains of round, concave and anucleate red blood cells of a mammal in a piece of anthracite coal excavated from the coal mine of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA. The coal mine lies in a stratum dated at least 290 mya. The red blood cell remains found in the anthracite coal should have belonged to a mammal, for only mammals have ever been found to possess such round, concave and anucleate red blood cells.

Introduction, Material and Method

Around the year 2007, the author received a small piece of anthracite coal (Figure 1) and 20 pieces of fossils from a resident (called the sender hereafter, note 1) of Shenandoah, Pennsylvania. The sender claimed they were all excavated from the anthracite coal mines near Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, USA (note 1-1). The sender is over 60 years old and has lived in Northeastern Pennsylvania for over 20 years. Anthracite coal has been continuously mined in the area for over 160 years. During the last 10 years, American anthracite is produced soley in this area (note 2). In view of the above and the luster of the object, the author finds no reason to doubt the origin of the material. According to the document “Coal in Pennsylvania” ( note 3), published by Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the anthracite coal produced in Pennsylvania is 417-290 million years old.

After studying several pieces of fossils received from the sender, the author placed the small piece of anthracite coal under a digital microscope (note 4) out of curiosity to see if the coal also contains fossils. The author did find fossilized remains of blood vessels as shown in Figure 2. So, the author took the piece of coal to Geoscience Department of National Taiwan University and had a thin section made from the coal. The thin section was made in the following method:
1. The whole piece of coal, measuring about 30 X 15 X 15 millimeters, was cut into two halves. One half was ground into thin section and the remaining half was returned to the author. Before grinding, the half piece was fixed with a kind of glue so that it would not break into smaller pieces during grinding. It is said to be a standard method for preparing similar samples that are prone to break apart during grinding.
2. The half piece was ground to a thickness of about 30 micrometers and covered on both sides with glass.

After the thin section was made, the author photographed it under a digital camera (note 5), a digital microscope (note 6) and a transmitted-light microscope (note 7).
To show the locations of blood cell remains mentioned in the Result Section, Figures 3, 4, 5, 6 are provided herewith.

Result:
The official age of Pennsylvania coals is shown in Figure 7. Thirteen red blood cell remains are marked in Figure 8, whose central area is featured in Figure 9. Red blood cell remains in Figure 8 and Figure 9 are round, concave and anucleate, thus belonging to the mammalian class (note 8), instead of other classes of animal such as fish, amphibians, reptiles or birds . They measure about three to four micrometers in diameter. A white blood cell remains and another two red blood cell remains were found and marked in Figure 10.

Discussion and Conclusion:
Mammals’ red blood cells are unique not only because they are anucleate, but also because they are round and concave except some members in the artiodactyl order (note 9). The red blood cells of the camel family, for example, are elliptical and anucleate.

The red blood cells of some salamander and fish genus are also anucleate (note 10), but they are elliptical in shape (note 10-1). Round, concave and anucleate red blood cells have never been found outside the mammalian class of animal. So, the red blood cell remains marked in Figure 9 and Figure 10 should have belonged to a mammal.

The person who sent the anthracite coal to the author never asked the author to study the anthracite coal. It was sent together with other fossils only as a reference to the old age of the other fossils. The author never thought of studying the anthracite until he accidentally discovered fossilized blood vessel remains in the anthracite coal. The author had no reason to doubt that the piece of anthracite coal originated from Pennsylvania, especially when Northeastern Pennsylvania is the only place in USA that produced anthracite in the last ten years. All coal that has been commercially produced in Pennsylvania is at least 290 million years old (Figure 7, note 3). The result of this research can be easily repeated and confirmed with other pieces of Pennsylvanian anthracite. According to Wikipedia article on mammal, the first mammal on Earth is Hadrocodium, which appeared approximately 195 mya (note 11). So, this research should push back the first appearance of mammal on Earth by 95 million years.

Note 1: The name of the resident/sender is Mr. Edward Conrad.

Note 1-1: The sender stated in a polygraph test,which he successfully passed, that he “discovered many thousands of rock-like objects in the Carboniferous strata in Pennsylvania’s anthracite region, almost all of which have been determined scientifically to be petrified bones. Most were unearthed from between coal veins in the aftermath of surface-mining operations. All were discovered within 20 miles of Mahanoy City and Shenandoah….” Complete statement is at: http://photo.xuite.net/lin440315940/10660528/150.jpg/sizes/o/

Note 2: Wikipedia article on anthracite: “Mining of anthracite coal continues to this day in eastern Pennsylvania”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthracite#Anthracite_coal_mining_today

Note 3: Page 13 in the document “Coal in Pennsylvania” shows this figure at http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/topogeo/education/coal/es7.pdf

Note 4: The digital microscope brand/model No. is Dino-Lite Model No. AM313T,
manufactured by AnMo Electronics Corp.

http://www.dino-lite.com/?gclid=CPeN4Lacip4CFQkwpAodhm7joA

Note 5: The camera brand/model No. is Canon EOS 350D.

Note 6: same as note 4 above.

Note 7: transmitted-light microscope brand: Microtech

Note 8: “Cell Sizes Database” notes: “Erythrocytes in mammals are unique among vertebrates in that they are enucleated (i.e., contain no nuclei) and circular rather than elliptical (with the exception of some artiodactyls).” URL: http://www.genomesize.com/cellsize/mammals.htm

Note 9: Wikipedia article on red blood cells: “Mammalian erythrocytes are unique among the vertebrates as they are non-nucleated cells in their mature form.”
“Mammalian erythrocytes are typically shaped as biconcave disks”
“However, there are some exceptions concerning shape in the artiodactyl order” URL: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell#Mammalian_erythrocytes

Note 10: Wikipedia article on red blood cell nucleus of vertebrates:
Erythrocytes in mammals are anucleate when mature, meaning that they lack a cell nucleus. In comparison, the erythrocytes of other vertebrates have nuclei; the only known exceptions are salamanders of the Batrachoseps genus and fish of the Maurolicus genus with closely related species.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_blood_cell#Nucleus

Note 10-1: Abstract of article “The cytomorphic system of anucleate non-mammalian erythrocytes” mentions :
“Cytomorphic structure was studied in erythrocytes ofBatrachoseps salamanders, a genus unique among non-mammalian vertebrates because most of the erythrocytes are anucleate. These anucleate erythrocytes are highly flattened, quite variable in size,and generally elliptical.” 
URL:http://www.springerlink.com/content/q88q%20%20%20v27q77620746/

Note 11: Wikipedia article on mammal: “Hadrocodium, whose fossils date from the early Jurassic (approx. 195 million years ago), provides the first clear evidence of fully mammalian jaw joints.”URL:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mammal#Earliest_appearances_of_features