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Full-Text Articles in Paleobiology
Using Ct Scans To Describe An Allosaurus Skull (Dinosauria: Theropoda), Jordan C. Oldham
Using Ct Scans To Describe An Allosaurus Skull (Dinosauria: Theropoda), Jordan C. Oldham
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
In 2001, an Allosaurus skull (CMP 279) was discovered in the Skull Creek Basin in Moffat County, Colorado. The skull is one of the most complete for the species and even contains the hyoid bones, which are usually not present. The skull is now permanently mounted, for display purposes, thus making the study of the individual bones difficult for producing a paleo-anatomical description. Computed Tomography (CT) scans of CMP 279 were created in 2017 and then made available for this study in 2019. CT scans are being used to investigate internal anatomy of skulls such as the endocranial cavity, sinuses, …
Paradigms And Paleoartists: How Our Perception Of Dinosaurs Forms, Jordan C. Oldham
Paradigms And Paleoartists: How Our Perception Of Dinosaurs Forms, Jordan C. Oldham
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
Thomas Kuhn in his famous work The Structure of Scientific Revolutions put forth his idea about how science changes. Kuhn thought that science changed by scientific revolutions brought on by an anomaly. After the anomaly, a crisis point would ensue as more scientists would research the anomaly. While in the process of research they would abandon the old paradigm in favor of one that would explain the anomaly. Not all anomalies create a crisis, but can rather result in a paradigm shift. These shifts occur within the old paradigm, and do not led to the formation of a new paradigm. …
Understanding Feathered Dinosaurs, Michael D. Sprague
Understanding Feathered Dinosaurs, Michael D. Sprague
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
Young-earth creationists hold to separate creations of birds and land animals due to a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:20-25, which describes their creations on different days. As such, they oppose the conventional model of theropod-to-bird evolution. For many years, there were few Mesozoic birds known, namely Hesperornis and Icthyornis. Specimens such as Archaeopteryx, found in 1861, seemed to strengthen the argument for the proposed transition. However, even after John Ostrom reinvigorated the idea of dinosaur-to-bird evolution in 1960 with the discovery of Deinonychus, evidence of this transition was still sparse. In the 1990’s, exquisitely-preserved dinosaur fossils began to pour out …
Understanding Feathered Dinosaurs, Michael D. Sprague
Understanding Feathered Dinosaurs, Michael D. Sprague
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
Young-earth creationists hold to separate creations of birds and land animals due to a literal interpretation of Genesis 1:20-25, which describes their creations on different days. As such, they oppose the conventional model of theropod-to-bird evolution. For many years, there were few Mesozoic birds known, namely Hesperornis and Icthyornis. Specimens such as Archaeopteryx, found in 1861, seemed to strengthen the argument for the proposed transition. However, even after John Ostrom reinvigorated the idea of dinosaur-to-bird evolution in 1960 with the discovery of Deinonychus, evidence of this transition was still sparse. In the 1990’s, exquisitely-preserved dinosaur fossils began …
On The Aquatic Habits Of Sauropods – An Antiquated Theory In Need Of Revival?, Michael D. Sprague
On The Aquatic Habits Of Sauropods – An Antiquated Theory In Need Of Revival?, Michael D. Sprague
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
When sauropods were first discovered, they were thought to have been restricted to life in the water due to their immense size. This image of sauropods was dismissed in the 1950’s when it was determined that the lungs would have been placed under massive amounts of pressure at these depths, rendering breathing nearly impossible (Kermack, 1951). However, these experiments failed to consider pneumaticity of sauropod vertebrae and were later dismissed. Sauropods possessed pneumatic features in all their presacral vertebrae, originally identified as weight-saving structures. These features kept the strength and integrity of the bone while dramatically reducing its weight. The …
Microstructures Produced By Hadrosaur Bones From Alaska And Wyoming, Mark P. Guilliams, Samantha J. Lefaive, Michael D. Sprague
Microstructures Produced By Hadrosaur Bones From Alaska And Wyoming, Mark P. Guilliams, Samantha J. Lefaive, Michael D. Sprague
The Research and Scholarship Symposium (2013-2019)
Since 2005 when Dr. Mary Schweitzer made the first discovery, microstructures with the appearance of “osteocytes” and “blood vessels” have been recovered from fossils of various localities, dating back as far as the Triassic. The majority of these finds have come from dense, cortical bone but recently have been discovered in cancellous bone. Since her initial discovery, Schweitzer has done a lot of work to verify that these microstructures are not biofilms, but instead are original organic tissue. This project was looking to get similar results to Schweitzer’s research and to find a simple test method for the initial discovery …