DS Forums

 
 

The Palaeontology thread


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 13-01-2016, 01:07
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
I personally think that the evidence that the 'gigapod' Amphicoelias existed is very strong indeed - and several sets of vast footprints around the world certainly show that sauropods could reach this size (or even larger),

It's just a question of time before we find the fossilised skeletal remains to prove it.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/...-have-existed/

What is it that makes us human?

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...something-else
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Please sign in or register to remove this advertisement.
Old 13-01-2016, 18:56
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
David Attenborough's new documentary about the vast (as yet unnamed) 37 metre long Titanosaur discovered in 2014.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/lat...giant-dinosaur

http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...ggest-dinosaur

http://svpow.com/2016/01/12/no-david...-of-its-femur/

Tristan the T. rex research.

http://www.naturkundemuseum.berlin/e...search-tristan

New mass estimates for the prehistoric Giraffe relative Sivatherium giganteum, more on Machimosaurus rex and how the remarkably preserved animals and plants of Lujiatun may have met their demise.

http://www.livescience.com/53348-gir...-ruminant.html

http://www.natureworldnews.com/artic...-bus-video.htm

https://theconversation.com/dinosaur...-torrent-40402
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-01-2016, 13:59
Shrike
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Nottingham
Posts: 11,478
It is interesting to speculate if any of our relatives/direct ancestors survived long enough to become distant legends in folk memory.

For example Trolls = Neanderthals?

Another legendary animal the Unicorn may well have had it's origins in the very last surviving Elasmotherium.

Who knows?

Just something to think about.
Its been suggested the Chinese style dragon is based on fossil serpentine sea reptiles that would've occasionally been exposed relatively whole in the desert.
Also the Greek legend of the Cyclops was from people finding mammoth skulls - mistaking the central hole where the trunk emerged for a single eye socket.
Shrike is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14-01-2016, 22:47
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
Its been suggested the Chinese style dragon is based on fossil serpentine sea reptiles that would've occasionally been exposed relatively whole in the desert.
Also the Greek legend of the Cyclops was from people finding mammoth skulls - mistaking the central hole where the trunk emerged for a single eye socket.
Yes the mammoth skulls being mistaken for the remains of Cyclops is particularly understandable.

Head crest sexual display in Protoceratops and the story behind the illustration (most notably the reason for the lack of filaments or bristles).

http://www.theguardian.com/science/l...lays-new-study

https://archosaurmusings.wordpress.c...oceratops-art/

Charting the growth of Chasmosaurus.

https://uofa.ualberta.ca/science/sci...y/babydinosaur

Finally, life and rocks may have co-evolved together.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...rth-180957807/
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2016, 01:15
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
The 37 metre long reconstruction of the (as yet unnamed) Titanosaur makes it's debut at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).

I still think that the estimated mass of this gigantic animal (70 tons or so) is rather low but then again (as detailed before on here) sauropods had a variety of weight saving adaptations to ensure that they weighed as little as was biomechanically possible.

http://www.livescience.com/53383-tit...saur-amnh.html

http://www.livescience.com/53382-tit...um-photos.html

The brutal battles of the Nimravids.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...les-180957841/
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16-01-2016, 19:54
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
A brilliant National Geographic feature article on the evolution of the eye.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...n-of-eyes-text

How ironic that the utterly lethal Box jellyfish have (remarkably) evolved to stage three vision - talk about the eyes of a cold blooded killer!
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18-01-2016, 23:50
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
Various stories.

The most interesting of which is the new paper on the Titanosaur Notocolossus gonzalezparejasi and the evolution of the sauropod hind foot - they had to carry a tremendous amount of weight after all.

http://www.nature.com/articles/srep19165

http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk...on-a-diet.html

http://blog.everythingdinosaur.co.uk...-dinosaur.html

http://gimpasaura.blogspot.ca/2016/0...-dinosaur.html

http://blogs.plos.org/paleocomm/2016...-russian-seas/
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 18-01-2016, 23:58
jesaya
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Loathed by the Daily Mail...
Posts: 34,199
A brilliant National Geographic feature article on the evolution of the eye.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/20...n-of-eyes-text

How ironic that the utterly lethal Box jellyfish have (remarkably) evolved to stage three vision - talk about the eyes of a cold blooded killer!
I have always found it odd that anti-evolutionists choose the eye as an example for their challenges to evolution when I have always thought it one of the greatest examples of why evolution makes such perfect sense.

Anyway, if we are picking favourites, the bay scallop is mine... that critter will be watching you wherever you are.
jesaya is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19-01-2016, 00:23
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
I have always found it odd that anti-evolutionists choose the eye as an example for their challenges to evolution when I have always thought it one of the greatest examples of why evolution makes such perfect sense.

Anyway, if we are picking favourites, the bay scallop is mine... that critter will be watching you wherever you are.
Creationists really shot themselves in the foot when using the eye as an argument against evolution.
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2016, 06:58
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
David's new documentary is on Sunday on BBC1 - it should be very interesting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-35362731

More on Notocolossus - yet another massive Titanosaur.

http://svpow.com/2016/01/20/notocolossus-is-a-beast/

India's 'Dinosaur Princess' and the possible role of sleep in our rise to dominance over the planet.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel...957798/?no-ist

http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20160...need-so-little
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2016, 21:41
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
An excellent article by Mark Witton on one of the the prehistoric 'supercrocs' - the monstrous Deinosuchus.

http://markwitton-com.blogspot.co.uk...igatoroid.html

The very sad (and incredibly recent) tale of the poor extinct Moas.

https://twilightbeasts.wordpress.com...e-moa-is-lost/
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2016, 21:51
Ber
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2008
Posts: 22,335
Creationists really shot themselves in the foot when using the eye as an argument against evolution.
Doesn't the eye actually see things upside down, and the brain have to turn it right way up again? Plus the massive blind spot here the opticnerve hits the retina.

If someone actually designed that then they would need their heads examining
Ber is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2016, 22:08
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
Doesn't the eye actually see things upside down, and the brain have to turn it right way up again? Plus the massive blind spot here the opticnerve hits the retina.

If someone actually designed that then they would need their heads examining
Yes indeed.

https://thehumanevolutionblog.files....eevolution.gif

Cephalopods (for example) have no blind spot - remind me when Paul the 'Oracle' Octopus is coming back as the Messiah again?
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-01-2016, 23:56
TelevisionUser
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
It is interesting to speculate if any of our relatives/direct ancestors survived long enough to become distant legends in folk memory.

For example Trolls = Neanderthals?

Another legendary animal the Unicorn may well have had it's origins in the very last surviving Elasmotherium.

Who knows?

Just something to think about.

My own view there is that the real origin of trolls is ardent and uncritical Tory supporters in the Digital Spy politics forum.


But I digress so back on topic:

Grisly find suggests humans inhabited Arctic 45,000 years ago (that is about 30,000+ years earlier than previously thought)

Immunity from interbreeding (more light has been shed on the consequences of different types of human mating crosses)
TelevisionUser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-01-2016, 06:43
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
For anyone interested just a quick reminder that 'Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur' is on BBC1 at 18.30 tonight.

It looks like an excellent programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dwy5z
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-01-2016, 15:13
TelevisionUser
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
For anyone interested just a quick reminder that 'Attenborough and the Giant Dinosaur' is on BBC1 at 18.30 tonight.

It looks like an excellent programme.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03dwy5z
^^^ Dromedary Bump One*

Here is the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvVIdeG29Wc

Go on, you know you really want to watch it - BBC One, 6.30pm, this evening.

*
Spoiler
TelevisionUser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-01-2016, 17:19
swingaleg
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2002
Posts: 76,808
I'm going to watch the Attenborough programme at 6.30............should be good

Bit strange timing though........I'd have thought it was a natural for the BBC4 or BBC2 9pm slot which is where nearly all the decent documentaries get shown
swingaleg is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-01-2016, 20:16
zackai48
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 766
zackai48 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 24-01-2016, 21:02
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
I doubt many creationists would doubt that dinosaurs used to walk the earth, but would just dispute when this happened.
After nightfall at 6 PM on Saturday, October 22, 4004 BC?
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 24-01-2016, 22:44
TelevisionUser
Forum Member
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Storbritannia
Posts: 28,916
I'm going to watch the Attenborough programme at 6.30............should be good

Bit strange timing though........I'd have thought it was a natural for the BBC4 or BBC2 9pm slot which is where nearly all the decent documentaries get shown
It turned out to be an excellent documentary and anyone who missed it can see it on BBC iPlayer here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...giant-dinosaur
TelevisionUser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 25-01-2016, 08:57
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
It turned out to be an excellent documentary and anyone who missed it can see it on BBC iPlayer here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...giant-dinosaur
I agree.

Last night's documentary was as good as a dinosaur programme aimed at a general audience could ever be - and David's sheer boyish enthusiasm (at the age of almost ninety) was a delight.

The BBC at it's very best. :thumbsup:

A couple more links.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zcnycwx

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zyrx34j
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-01-2016, 04:31
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
Can't bloody sleep.

Kulindadromeus and 'dino-fuzz'.

https://qilong.wordpress.com/2016/01...nt-in-kulinda/

More on the adorable (and beautifully preserved) Chasmosaurus baby.

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....dinosaur-baby/
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 28-01-2016, 21:51
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
The Carcharodon v Carcharocles dispute rumbles on.

Let's just call it Megalodon.

A very nice illustration of the evolution of the massive Megatooth sharks.

http://orig04.deviantart.net/0932/f/...ca-d9fte5i.jpg

Yes indeed folks - Dinosaurs, Birds and Crocodilians could/can take a piss!

http://svpow.com/2016/01/28/yes-folk...-pee/#comments

Yet another article on the gigantic unnamed Titanosaur.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...957955/?no-ist
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-01-2016, 21:20
Keyser_Soze1
Forum Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: The Sixth Circle of Hell
Posts: 20,174
Ray Troll and his fascination with the incredible 'buzz-toothed' super shark Helicoprion.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...oll-180957923/

More evidence that humans contributed to the extinction of Australia's wonderful recent Megafauna.

http://phys.org/news/2016-01-ancient...lian-bird.html

http://www.livescience.com/53528-hum...xtinction.html

An analysis of theropod speed.

http://phys.org/news/2016-01-paleont...h-ability.html

http://news.discovery.com/animals/di...urs-160127.htm

Another of Brian's Palaeo profiles.

http://phenomena.nationalgeographic....ys-dawn-beast/
Keyser_Soze1 is offline   Reply With Quote
 
Reply




 
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 18:39.