封面故事：长刺大孢（Grandispora longa Chi and Hillis, 1976）化石标本。产自甘肃文县—碧口镇的剖面。在碧口群和横丹群的粉砂质和泥质板岩中发现众多的孢子化石，证明该地层属于中泥盆世。同时，在秦岭其他主要疑难地层研究中获得一系列古生物新发现和同位素测年新数据，为重新厘定其时代提供了可靠依据。这项由中国地质科学院矿产资源研究所研究员王宗起主持的研究成果，当选2008年度中国地质科学院十大科技进展。详见本期第561-570页（照片放大500倍，照片提供：高联达）
Cover Story：The fossil of Grandispora longa Chi and Hillis (1976), was found in middle part of the Bikou Group in the section of Bikou Town-Wenxian County, Gansu Province, China. The spores occur in the silty and muddy slate beds of the Bikou Group and Hengdan Group, indicating the age of the Bikou Group and Hengdan Group should be the Middle Devonian. These new facts, together with the new paleontoliogic and isotopic dating research achievements in the other main strata of the Qinling Orogenic Belt directed by Professor WANG Zong-qi, Institute of Mineral Resources, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences，ranks “Top Ten Scientific and Technological Progresses of CAGS in 2008”. For details, see pp.561-570. (×500, Photo by GAO Lian-da)
