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The Palaeontology thread
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Keyser_Soze1
04-08-2014
Originally Posted by swingaleg:
“Question for keyser.......

Something bothers me about fossils........I did actually start a thread about this many years ago but don't think the question ever got resolved to my satisfaction

Palaeontologists and the popular press often speak of 'dinosaur bones'.......but do they ever find actual bones or is it only ever fossilised bones, ie stone

I just can't imagine that bone would survive for 100 million years under any conditions

so..........bone or stone ?”

Both.

There are actually many different ways of preserving fossils.

And recently people have begun to slice through fossil bones to discover organic material still preserved deep within the matrix - the first being the incredible discovery of Tyrannosaurus rex collagen and even blood cells. Just type in T.rex collagen and you will find it a fascinating subject.

Wiki is actually pretty good on fossils - there are plenty of links on there as well.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fossil
Keyser_Soze1
04-08-2014
Originally Posted by anne_666:
“Was anything known about the mega-penguin before this discovery?”

This particular species was known Ann but not how vast it grew as an adult, and several others were really huge - this link names many of them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palaeeudyptinae
Keyser_Soze1
04-08-2014
Because you can never have too many feathered tyrant reptile reconstructions in this thread - and it's just another chance for me to stick it to JP4 again.

http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...ix-d6i37ob.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/20...at-d5wgewz.jpg

http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs71/f/20...il-d7lt0j8.jpg
Keyser_Soze1
04-08-2014
This painting is a painting of speculative mating behaviour amongst Tyrannosaurids - they are actually not attacking each other!

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UzNWdy2oTf...res+Witton.jpg
Steveaki13
04-08-2014
I guess that sort of mating position would make sense.

I mean if you watch some birds they mate by sitting on top of each others and pinning down.

So that would follow.

Some mammals do it to, so it seems a fair chance that dinosaurs could have. I think its Lions that bite the neck to the females to control them.
Steveaki13
04-08-2014
As for the Giant Penguins. How awesome is that
CLL Dodge
05-08-2014
Remember Homo floresiensis, discovered in 2004 and hailed as "the most important find in human evolution for 100 years".

Now it's suggested that the individual concerned was a human with Downs Syndrome:

http://phys.org/news/2014-08-flores-...me-hobbit.html

We need more specimens to settle this.
Keyser_Soze1
05-08-2014
Originally Posted by CLL Dodge:
“Remember Homo floresiensis, discovered in 2004 and hailed as "the most important find in human evolution for 100 years".

Now it's suggested that the individual concerned was a human with Downs Syndrome:

http://phys.org/news/2014-08-flores-...me-hobbit.html

We need more specimens to settle this.”

Very interesting but I am pretty certain that it was a new species - I will have to read up on the latest news when I have more time.

However if this is true it means absolutely nothing in the bigger picture - and the creationists will use it endlessly whilst ignoring titanic mountains of other evidence just like they did poor old Piltdown man.
Keyser_Soze1
05-08-2014
Briefly read up on the new paper - in my opinion (and far more importantly - professional palaeontologists) it is not very convincing to say the least.

It will be interesting to see the kicking it gets within the next few days.

But that is the true beauty of science - it is all about destroying cherished long held beliefs to get to the final truth of the matter.
TelevisionUser
07-08-2014
...and now for a bird-hipped dinosaur update:

A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Venezuela – the first ever to have been found in the South American country. Laquintasaura venezuelae was a dog-sized 'bird-hipped' dinosaur that lived shortly after the major extinction at the end of the Triassic Period, 201 million years ago. Identified by scientists at the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Zürich, bones from four L. venezuelae were found together in the La Quinta Formation in Venezuela.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/laquintasau...ezuela-1459701
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04cfkvg
Keyser_Soze1
07-08-2014
Originally Posted by TelevisionUser:
“...and now for a bird-hipped dinosaur update:

A new dinosaur species has been discovered in Venezuela – the first ever to have been found in the South American country. Laquintasaura venezuelae was a dog-sized 'bird-hipped' dinosaur that lived shortly after the major extinction at the end of the Triassic Period, 201 million years ago. Identified by scientists at the Natural History Museum in London and the University of Zürich, bones from four L. venezuelae were found together in the La Quinta Formation in Venezuela.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/laquintasau...ezuela-1459701
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04cfkvg”

Yes I saw this - some more evidence for social behaviour in dinosaurs from very early on in their evolutionary history.

This is truly the golden age for dinosaur fans.

http://www.nhm.ac.uk/about-us/news/2...mal132451.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5654116.html

http://news.discovery.com/animals/di...ure-140805.htm

A short video.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-28673614
CLL Dodge
09-08-2014
Neanderthals liked tucking in to pigeon:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.U-aA1vldV8E
Keyser_Soze1
09-08-2014
Originally Posted by CLL Dodge:
“Neanderthals liked tucking in to pigeon:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.U-aA1vldV8E”

Great stuff.

I often wonder what they really thought of us - they had larger brains and were far stronger - but of course we will never know.

Another couple of links -

http://animals.io9.com/pigeon-bones-...nea-1617750125

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2...geon-gibraltar
Keyser_Soze1
13-08-2014
A nice little article on dinosaur palaeopathology.

http://www.palaeontologyonline.com/a...ing-dinosaurs/
CLL Dodge
13-08-2014
These wonderful organisms are far, far older than dinosaurs. Among the oldest complex organisms known from the fossil record:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.U-vDgfldV8E
Keyser_Soze1
13-08-2014
Originally Posted by CLL Dodge:
“These wonderful organisms are far, far older than dinosaurs. Among the oldest complex organisms known from the fossil record:

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...l#.U-vDgfldV8E”

Excellent stuff - the Ediacara fauna.

David Attenborough's 'First Life' featured these and many other fantastic early life-forms - have you ever seen the programme CCL?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Attenb.../dp/B0042HOQ02
BeethovensPiano
13-08-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“Excellent stuff - the Ediacara fauna.

David Attenborough's 'First Life' featured these and many other fantastic early life-forms - have you ever seen the programme CCL?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/David-Attenb.../dp/B0042HOQ02”

Its on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR-yMiyquG4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfCCvKYTYZQ
Keyser_Soze1
13-08-2014
Originally Posted by BeethovensPiano:
“Its on youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xR-yMiyquG4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfCCvKYTYZQ”

Thanks.

I have seen it twice but I would recommend it to anyone who reads this thread who has not viewed it yet.

And it had possibly the best reconstruction of the world's first great apex predator - Anomalocaris - that I have seen to date.
Rednell
13-08-2014
Interesting discovery in Brazil.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/flock-anci...1.html#50SUVva
Keyser_Soze1
13-08-2014
Originally Posted by Rednell:
“Interesting discovery in Brazil.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/flock-anci...1.html#50SUVva”

Thank you very much for this Rednell - here are some more links on the wonderful new discovery .

I really love the vast variety of bizarre and spectacular sexual display crests of the males of the various pterosaur species.

Us blokes will do anything for a quick shag!

http://motherboard.vice.com/read/pte...g-reptiles1324

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/n...s-new-species/

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...zil-180952334/
PeteA
18-08-2014
Over many years (but a mere blink of the eye in geological terms), we've found a few fossils in our garden.

The descriptions below are what I think they may be, but if any one can shed more light, I'd appreciate it.

Worm tube
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...s/WormTube.jpg

Shell
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ils/Shell1.jpg

Urchin
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ls/Urchin1.jpg

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ls/Urchin2.jpg

Tooth
http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ils/Tooth2.jpg

http://i602.photobucket.com/albums/t...ils/Tooth1.jpg

Approx size guides...
Worm tube 1.5"
Shell 0.5"
Urchin 1.5"
Tooth 2.0"
CLL Dodge
18-08-2014
"New" ankylosaur species found in China:

http://www.livescience.com/47338-gia...-in-china.html
Keyser_Soze1
18-08-2014
Some very interesting recent National Geographic magazine articles (in chronological order) - several of them filling more of the gaps in our knowledge of human evolution.

Creationists are welcome to stick their fingers in their ears and shut their eyes very tightly indeed.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...h/shreeve-text

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20.../fischman-text

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...al/zimmer-text

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...r/shreeve-text

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...rs/miller-text
BeethovensPiano
20-08-2014
Originally Posted by Keyser_Soze1:
“Thanks.

I have seen it twice but I would recommend it to anyone who reads this thread who has not viewed it yet.

And it had possibly the best reconstruction of the world's first great apex predator - Anomalocaris - that I have seen to date. ”

This creature featured in the documentary.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...GLOBAL-twitter
Keyser_Soze1
20-08-2014
Originally Posted by BeethovensPiano:
“This creature featured in the documentary.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/...GLOBAL-twitter”

Ye that is the famous Hallucigenia - it is a very interesting example of how research and looking at things from a different angle can finally solve the most of puzzling of fossil conundrums.

I always enjoy look at the older illustrations of the mysterious little beast - what a shame the truth turned out to be far more mundane than all of the fantastic speculation that followed it around for many years .

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencete...Tree-Life.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/0...n_5688565.html

http://phys.org/news/2014-08-worm-li...lutionary.html

http://newsmaine.net/20323-scientist...ils-ever-found

And here is a very nice site on the famous Burgess Shale.

http://burgess-shale.rom.on.ca/en/index.php
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