Posts Tagged ‘paleontology’

Even Dinosaurs Got Old


16 May

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After a certain age, it seems like almost every day we “discover” a new creak in our joints, new stiffness or maybe even arthritis pain. We lament that we are not as young as we used to be. Well, it is not just those of us living in modern times who have suffered from the pains of old age. Even dinosaurs got arthritis.

Scientists studying a pliosaur (think Loch Ness monster) from the Mesozoic era have discovered that the reptile suffered from a degenerative disease much like arthritis, and that a bone that could heal eventually led to its death.

The Dinosaur Nursery


26 Jan

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As salmon return to their birth places to spawn, so dinosaurs returned to the same spots to lay their eggs. Well, maybe not exactly like that, but new evidence found at the oldest dinosaur nesting grounds ever discovered does show that multiple dinosaurs built their nests in the same area at roughly the same time, and that dinosaurs kept coming back to that area to build their nests.

The nesting ground, found in the Golden Gate Highlands National Park in South Africa, contains the oldest dinosaur nests ever found, older than previous nesting sites by 100 million years. That’s amazing.

Kraken!


16 Oct

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Or, as I prefer to think of it- giant, ancient Cuttlefish! The actual Cthulu monster!

 

So I realize that there’s a lot of speculation in this. But I am in love with the idea that an ancient Coleoidea was killing ichthyosaurs and dragging them to its lair. It just brings out the fan girl in me.

And there is good science involved. The evidence at this time is mostly circumstantial, but since soft bodied creatures do not leave fossils, we are pretty much forced to speculate about their past existence. I hope to hear more evidence of the kraken soon.

Digging Up Fossils


05 Oct

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So we all know that I’m a big fan of paleontology, and that I think amateur paleontological finds are pretty cool. But there is a definite difference between finding a fossil while walking along your local stream, digging in your yard, or even volunteering for a local dig, and going to the John Day Fossil Beds National Monument and chiseling out a fossil.

You aren’t finding or discovering anything. In fact, you are defacing a national monument. And in thePacific Northwest, that ends in a fine and a year long ban from all national parks.  Don’t do it, folks.

Propanoplosaurus marylandicus


23 Sep

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Sometimes it amazes me how long science can take. Fourteen years after a fossil was discovered, it’s being written about in the Journal of Paleontology. At the same time, we’re talking dinosaur bones- fourteen years isn’t even a drop in the bucket.

What makes this fossil special? It’s a new genus and species (and being named after the state in which it was found), and it’s the only newborn fossil ever found in theUS.

There’s a part of me that is sad something so young died, and yet, I am also excited about what this find can teach us.

Bonus Science Content: the Angolatitan adamastor


17 Mar

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Have I mentioned that I was a history major in undergrad, and my brother was an archeology major? That might help in understanding the scientific discoveries I find most cool. Like the lost city of Atlantis earlier this week, and now, a new dinosaur- the Angolatitan adamastor.

I am extra excited by the fact that new dinosaur was discovered in country where they haven’t been able to do much digging before. Hopefully, this will interest and excite not only people in Angola, but also in the countries around them. As was said in the article, we all benefit from science.

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