Here is our first public task to start our class! Our textbook was published in 2012 so it needs just a bit of updating. The last two years have been two of the most exciting ones with respect to new dinosaur discoveries and insights so there is no shortage of updates which can be contributed! So please find a recent dinosaur-related news report or article from the Internet, share the link here and summarize -- in your own words -- what we learn from these new findings.
There are a couple "game rules" for this assignment. First, your link and news must be different than any already posted by your classmates, so be sure to read all the comments by the rest of us to this topic before adding your own. Also please only post one bit of news so that everyone has a fair chance to find and share out a unique source. Posting more than one link will reduce the points earned. But posting early can add a point. Read the syllabus for the details!
Finally, remember that you can post "anonymously" just using your first name or another way to identify yourself. Click on the "comments", compose your contribution and choose the submission option that works for you. Also, remember that your post will not appear until I have approved it (which can take a few hours). My "moderation" of these comments is meant to keep out the spammers.
Thanks! Dr. B.
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24 comments:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2014/09/140911-spinosaurus-fossil-discovery-dinosaur-science/
This article posted on National Geographic gives a short explanation about the Spinosaurus, a dinosaur that actually adapted to life in the water as opposed to land.
Measuring at 50 feet in length, this dinosaur is characterized primarily by the spine on it's back, that could act as a sail, and by it's fierce skull shape that made use of crushing jaws, sharp teeth, used to catch prey. The hip bones suggest it did not offer much for leg power, as it shouldn't if it was a swimmer. It's hands and feet also resemble bone structures that have webbing.
This dinosaur is the main character of the film Jurrasic Park III, which now seems to be a false interpretation of Spinosaurus culture.
Chickens and turkeys 'closer to dinosaur ancestors' than other birds
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141211142612.htm
According to a study compiled at Kent University, it has been determined that the genomes of chickens and turkeys have remained much more similar to their dinosaur (avian) ancestors than other birds. In fact the chicken is known to have the closest chromosome similarities as their prehistoric avian ancestors. Apparently, other birds such as the zebra finch, had especially rapid changes in genomes after the extinction of dinosaurs. With these rapid changes after the dinosaurs it is still partially unknown how these birds so rapidly evolved into a family tree of over 10,000 species.
Works Cited:
University of Kent. (2014, December 11). Chickens and turkeys 'closer to dinosaur ancestors' than other birds. ScienceDaily. Retrieved January 6, 2015 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/12/141211142612.htm
In September of 2014 an international contingency of scientists released more information about the discovery of a nearly complete skeleton of the largest land animal ever measured, the Dreadnoughtus schrani, in Argentina. The Dreadnoughtus schrani, a giant Titanosaur, never had to fear predators because of its size, measuring in over “seven Tyrannosaurus rexes,” and its spiked tail. Using modern equipment, scientists are continuing to have new insights into the physical characteristics of these enormous creatures including how they grew, moved around, and survived.
www.sci-news.com/paleontology/science-dreadnoughtus-schrani-new-giant-titanosaur-argentina-02129.html
Proof of an Amphibious Past for the Ichthyosaur
http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/fossil-links-dolphin-like-dino-to-amphibious-past-141105.htm
A new fossil discovery from the University of California Davis could be one of the missing links in the evolution line for the ichthyosaur. This fossil, coming from a close relative and appearing to be amphibious in nature, has provided proof of the ichthyosaurs' transition from land to sea. Reseachers from the UC Davis team have concluded that this particular dinosaur was able to both swim through the sea using its powerful flippers, and also crawl on land with flexible wrists.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/11/oldest-horned-dinosaur-montana_n_6303008.html?utm_hp_ref=dinosaurs
Ian B said...
There seems to be a new type of dinosaur discovered in Montana that has a very peculiar crow-like beak measured to be (84mm). Scientist say this is the first horned dinosaur found in North America from the Cretaceous period, they named the creature Aquilops americanus. Andrew Farke a Geologest said that this species lived 20 million years before the next oldest horned dinosaur from North America.
Last year a sample of sandstone from Utah was discovered that may shed some light on whether or not the Utah raptor hunted in packs and lived in social groups. The dinosaurs were discovered very closely to one another suggesting they might have died chasing down their prey. If this is true than it will confirm what many scientist have argued about for some time.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150106-utahraptor-death-trap-fossil/
http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/dinosaur-species-discovered-among-fossils-stored-at-canadian-museum-for-decades-1.2851095
In this article two new dinosaur species were discovered after closer study of fossils in a Canadian museum. The research was conducted by Dr. Nick Longrich. Longrich was studying the fossils of horned dinosaurs at the museum and had a hunch that they were more closely related to a different species located in the American Southwest as opposed to Canada. He believes that the fossils indicate they have separate relatives from regions of Utah and New Mexico but further study is required.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2321269/New-Zealand-sea-monster-Mysterious-30-FOOT-rotting-carcass-Pukehina-Beach.html
The remains of a giant sea monster wash ashore (again) this time in New Zealand. This article is written in your typical annual "Loch Ness Monster" tabloid style. It raises hope to cryptozoologist that there could be prehistoric mythological dinosaurs living among us; the likelihood of which could be true given the vast unexplored depths of our oceans (a subject that fascinates me just as much as it frightens me). The remains of this 30 foot carcass pictured in the article seem prehistoric, but most experts interviewed believe that it is likely the remains of an orca whale. It still reveals our interest in modern-day dinosaurs and what could possibly be lurking beneath the waves!
http://www.ufosightingsdaily.com/2014/05/ancient-dinosaur-egg-or-polished.html
I chose this article because I am fascinated by U.F.Os and life on mars. There is footage and photos of what looks to be a dinosaur egg. I am still unsure if I believe there is an Extra-Terrestrial however I do believe that if there is a living life on Mars then there is a chance that the life of a dinosaur could be found there too. Unfortunately there is a lot of photo shop and manipulating on the internet; therefor, a lot more investigating and researching would need to go into this subject. Again, I am fascinated by this and will always be looking to the sky because I never know what I might see.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2899894/The-mystery-dinosaur-death-trap-Utah-rock-containing-SIX-Utahraptors-uncovered.html
A block of sandstone held the remains of six Utahraptors: an adult, 4 juveniles, and a baby. The recent finds are changing scientific views of this raptor's anatomy. The adults, though turkey like, were heavily muscled and they also may have hunted in packs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IwPDVgGqVo
Im a huge fan of learning by watching video--I think it's so much easier to see what someone is talking about, than reading text, so I found this video for all of us to see. Apparently the Dreadnoughtus was discovered and findings were published last year. After watching this video, I was amazed at one, how articulate parts of the skeletal fossil are, and the immense size of this creature. There was a diagram that had this dinosaur bigger than a plane.
Enjoy, Y'all!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141104163015.htm
This article discusses current advances in fossil analysis. Utilizing high-quality x-ray computed tomography, a research team studying the Cretaceous era's "Erlikosaurous andrewsi" were able to digitally take apart and restore the skull in its entirety, with out physically removing each and every piece. This has opened many avenues of restoration, transportation ( images and files vs. risky land/air transportation of the physical fossil), and education.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/want-excite-inner-dinosaur-fan-pack-bags-for-alberta-180953654/?no-ist
This article spoke out to me the most because of this excerpt "That’s a staggering 5 percent or more of all known dinosaur species." With the museum holding 150,000 fossils it is amazing what this small part of Alberta holds for the subject of dinosaurs. There are many point’s I could take out of this article to share with you but I will let it simply speak for itself. The site has a deep history and even to this day is making new discoveries. I also enjoyed that part that showcases the meteor site that is said to be part of the dinosaur’s demise. Finally, how that the meteor or meteor’s that struck the earth were not the sole problem with the extinction of the dinosaurs. (This is what I and the majority of people, growing up believe to be true.) But that climate change and also the extinction of certain dinosaurs was the key to having them mostly completely wiped out.
Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. "Digital dinosaurs: New research employs high-end technology to restore dinosaur fossil." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 4 November 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141104163015.htm
To sumerise many found fossils and deformed and need to be handled with the upmost care. Useing CT scanning and digital visualization allows less tampering with the fossil. It also, with the right software, con reconstruct some deformed fossils. The biggest take away was how quickly and easily this information could be shared with his piers.
Seth
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/09/titanosaur-africa-new-dinosaur-species_n_5786216.html
A new dinosaur species was discovered in Africa. It was found embedded in a cliff wall in Southeastern Tanzania. It is one of only four titanosaur findings in Africa, while there has been more than 30 in South America. Scientists believe the Rukwatitan bisepultus was alive during the Cretaceous Period.
http://www.ancient-origins.net/news-evolution-human-origins/humans-walk-earth-dinosaurs-triceratops-horn-dated-33500-020159
This article discusses a controversial discovery, pointing towards evidence which suggest dinosaurs were alive as recently as 25,000-40,000 years ago. It has been widely accepted that dinosaurs have been extinct since about 65 million years ago. However, using Carbon-14 dating, a triceratops horn excavated in Montana has been dated to ~35,000 years old. A number of other samples from other areas of other dinosaur parts have also been tested and have provided similar results. This could potentially even mean that there was a time where humans walked with dinosaurs. C-14 dating has not typically been used on dinosaur samples because it isn't accurate past ~55,000 years back, and the widely held belief was that dinosaurs were extinct long before then. Given these recent findings, however, the scientific community should seriously consider further testing!
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141105084826.htm
In November 2014 Society of Vertebrate Paleontology posts an article about possible dinosaur tracks in the largest diamond mine in Africa. Apparently it was back in 2005 when a paleontologist was said to have found a Angolatitan a damastor, which was the first Angolan dinosaur ever found. More recently about 70 profound tracks were retrieved in a natural wash bowl/hole. The tracks seem to be about the size of a current day raccoon and much bigger than a rat, yet they are of a 118 million year old dinosaur. So I take it the source is saying that because 118 million years ago animals were as small as a rat and this finding is larger then it has to be a dinosaur. Anyhow, there wasn’t any bone found so they could on analyze the tracks.
CM
http://dinosaurs.about.com/od/typesofdinosaurs/tp/dinosaurgroups.htm
This page is amazing simply because it helps us to understand and classify the dinosaurs.It also helps readers to know a little bit about different dinosaurs from what they ate to the family they belonged to.we can now categorize the 15 types of dinosaurs and all the specifications.
Dino Dung: Paleontology's Next Frontier?
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/03/0312_030312_dinodung.html
I think when most people hear the word "fossil" they think of animal bones, like dinosaurs. However, their bones and the particular layer of earth they are excavated from are only part of the story. How can we know what their world was like? By examining coprolites, we learn not only what plants and animals the dinosaurs ate but what their environment was like, what diseases and parasites they may have suffered from, and details about their metabolism. It seems strange to study fossilized poop, or any kind of poop for that matter. However, it can reveal an incredible amount of information that help us to understand dinosaurs and their world.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/dinosaurs-were-heavy-wet-breathers-141014.htm
Dinosaurs did not have hairs in their noses to help filter what enters the body, they used mucus instead. It is also speculated that dinosaurs took deep, long breaths and the air helped to cool the brain; dinosaurs were huge and with out the air to cool the brain, their brains would have fried.
'Jurassic World' Guesses On Dinosaur Sounds, Experts Say : Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/jurassic-world-guesses-on-dinosaur-sounds-experts-say-141230.htm
This ariticle is talking about dinosaurs sounds. The "Jurassic-World" presents us a lot of different types of dinosaur's sounds. But in the real world, it is still a hard thing to study the dinosaur sounds. It is because "Vertebrates usually vocalize with soft tissues, and soft tissus rarely preserve in the fossil record."
And the dinosaur sounds made in the movie is different than the real dinosaur sounds，for example, the parasaurolophus sounds kind of like a trombone.
We could basicly learn from this article that dinosaur sounds is hard to know. All the dinosaur sounds in the movie is not true.
I chose this article about an Allosaurus fossil that was found with a hole in its pelvis area with a "fist-sized abscess infected puncture wound." This led paleontologists to believe the Allosaurus may have been hit by the tail of a Stegosaurus which might have been the reason for the death of the Allosaurus.
This discovery can give advancements in the knowledge of how dinosaurs interacted and even fought.
http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/stegosaurus-wasnt-above-striking-a-low-blow-video-141106.htm
http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=AwrTcc2UOLdUVFsA2IElnIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTByaTNkOWxlBHNlYwNzcgRwb3MDNwRjb2xvA2dxMQR2dGlkAw--/RV=2/RE=1421322516/RO=10/RU=http%3a%2f%2fnews.nationalgeographic.com%2fnews%2f2014%2f03%2f140319-dinosaurs-feathers-animals-science-new-species%2f/RK=0/RS=1DDJRt5U.UBz6MEcIj7keYzJ6_c-
I found an article about a dinosaur described as a "chicken from hell". It is an oviraptosaur (a 2 legged bird like dinosaur) named Anzu wyliei and it was about 11 feet long and 500 pounds. It had no teeth in its beak like the non avian dinosaurs of today, and it hails from the Cretaceous period around 66 million years ago
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2015/01/150106-utahraptor-death-trap-fossil/
The article is about the foundlings of six or more Utahraptor dinosaurs from a Utah mountain last year. They fossils may help us to find out whether these Utahraptor dinosaurs hunted in groups. The new foundlings has changed the scientific view of the Utahrapto anatomy. The scientists are still working on the fossil to find out the history of it.
I thought there are limited dinosaur fossil are left, and it is very rare to find out. This article published recently, and I am surprised that people can still pull out six dinosaur fossils even after so many discoveries in the past.
Lei Wang
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