ALBANY, NY.- A New York State Museum paleontologist has become the only scientist in the U.S. selected to participate in an all-expense paid research program in Spain that will enable him to investigate the effects of climate change on mammals over the last 2 million years. Dr. Robert Feranec, the Museum’s curator of vertebrate paleontology, will work with Dr. Nuria Garcia from the Department of Paleontology at the University at Madrid. The three-month research project, and all expenses associated with it, are totally funded through the Program of Distinguished Visiting Foreign Investigators at the Complutense University of Madrid. Feranec’s selection is a rare honor since historically, most scientists chosen to participate in this program are within the European Union. During the research stay Feranec will help excavate a cave for vertebrate fossils in Madrid. He will also visit numerous museums collecting